Like Fire And Water
by Mouko
Summary: Team Aqua and Team Magma are known rivals throughout Hoenn, with tensions as vast as the ocean and hot as lava. Now their two leaders are about to take things to the next level, as Aogiri goes all out to target Matsubusa's civilian persona.
1. Chapter 1

Smoke billowed upwards as flames attacked the warehouse, ravaging anything it could touch. Sirens sounded in the distance, a time limit for those assembled to evacuate before the fire trucks – and police – arrived.

"Hurry it up," a man barked, his voice distorted by the thick mask he wore, reminiscent of a jester's mask, red in color with black for the eyes, mouth, and a strange symbol on the forehead – a sideways oval with a stylized mountain curved around it. His slick red hair flowed from the back down to his shoulders, as bright as the flames dancing around him. He wore a mostly red changshan that came down to his knees, with only the left sleeve and chest area black with a jagged border at the bottom where dark was greeted by ruby once more. Right over his left breast was the same matching ruby emblem as the one on his forehead.

The masked man moved forward, the heat lunging to singe at his black pants and missing by inches as his heavy black boots crushed the embers underneath. He headed towards the gaping entrance to the warehouse, the wood and metal shattered to allow entry and exit without trouble. Around him, men and women scurried in and out of the warehouse with large boxes, avoiding the inferno as they scavenged everything they could and carried it away. Each wore a large red hood with three black spikes, one to each side and one to the front, with a long shawl that draped over their shoulders and down their backs like a cape, with a black top underneath. They bore an emblem very similar to the masked man's on their chests – black instead of red and the oval missing beneath the mountain. Complete with the red wristbands and leggings, their uniforms differed only in the women wearing black skirts and the men wearing baggy pants.

It was the uniform of Team Magma, and they were on the job.

"Leader, the vans are loaded," one of the men said with a salute as he approached the red-haired man. He wore a uniform similar to the other individuals around them, but his face was obstructed by a black mask with red eyes and a frowning expression.

"Good," the masked man said. "We're leaving."

The subordinate nodded before he turned and walked to the entrance, matching the leader's steps as the grunts rushed out around them. The leader spared the warehouse a glance, noting no one remained in the ruined building. After the last person had left, the leader himself walked through the doorway out in to the parking lot surrounding the facility.

The masked leader immediately came to a stop as he was greeted by the sight of his men and women in battle stances as they gripped their Pokéballs with furious expressions. Past them, blocking the path to the unmarked black vans parked near the building, was a massive reptilian Pokémon, a Feraligatr.

The Pokémon was white with a cyan underside and neck ridges, with a massive black halter wrapped around her muscular chest with a bright blue stylized symbol that resembled an 'A' on the front. She turned to look at the leader and stood up her full height, towering at nine feet tall over the assembled men and women as she flashed a fanged grin down at them. Dangling from her mouth by his cape was an unfortunate grunt who had gotten too close, who kicked and thrashed uselessly as she held him suspended in the air.

"...You," the leader let out with a low growl. The mask hid his face, but the scowl was undeniable. He glared at the grinning Pokémon, but he was talking to what lay beyond her. "You really can't help being a complete _nuisance_, can you?"

On top of the van closest to the warehouse was a man with tanned skin and wide grin on his bearded face. "Oh, come on now, Masky. Don't act like you didn't expect me to crash another one of your parties."

The masked man clenched his fists as his attention spanned across the individuals in front of him. The newcomers wore blue bell-bottom pants with white circles running up the sides as well as a black and white banded skin-tight t-shirt – one that showed considerable amount of navel on the women. Along with the black gloves and boots, a bright blue bandanna on the tops of their heads completed the outfit, the white A symbol front and center on their brows.

The masked man then turned to the one who had spoken, a muscular man in a dark blue wetsuit with white trim around the rib cage and on his feet and light blue trim on the knees, top of the foot, and shins. He wore a gold diver's belt and matching gold necklace with what appeared to be a miniature anchor as a charm. A black webbed cape covered his backside, like the tail of a fish. His scruffy hair was mostly obscured by the blue bandanna around his head, which also sported the logo, and only his neatly cropped beard framing his chin and curved towards his mouth hinted at his hair's color – deep brown. He flashed his pearl-white teeth at the masked man, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement as he lounged on the hood of one of the vans directly behind the Feraligatr.

"Hmph, look at what the whale _puked up_," the masked man said, with a sneer that was more heard than seen. "How many times do we have to beat you before you'll finally get the idea that you shouldn't mess with Team Magma?"

The leader of the rival team laughed, his voice deep and booming. "Don't you got it backwards? Seems it's _you_ lot constantly scampering away from the shore to your precious land to get away from_ us_."

The masked man's fists trembled slightly before he reached up to wave his hand, as if striking away the comment. "You always did think too highly of yourself! As if Team Magma'd ever give the time of day to an uneducated _neanderthal_ and his band of _driftwood_!"

The rival leader chuckled. "Funny, seems as though you've gotta give it to us now seeing as you can't go anywhere without your vans."

The masked man paused as the people around him glowered, glancing uneasily as the rival team members lounged around the vans and chuckled with open amusement. The man being held by the massive Feraligatr continued to squirm, kicking against the Pokémon's chest to no effect while attempting to pry her mouth open.

"...So much for our look-out," the black-masked man grumbled, crossing his arms. He cast a pointed look to the captive grunt, who had the good sense to look sheepish as he dangled off his feet.

"If you're looking for a fight, we'll be more than happy to _burn_ you to the _ground_." the leader of Team Magma said, his voice icy despite the raging heat around him.

The leader of Team Aqua laughed. "And my water'll just put you right back out again!"

The masked man reached under his changshan, brushing it aside to reveal a Pokéball at his belt. He grasped the round object, which prompted his subordinates to grab their own Pokéballs as their resolve firmed and tempers flared. He tossed the Pokéball forward, releasing a black Houndoom with a red muzzle and underbelly. The dog-like Pokémon bared his fangs at the large Feraligatr as he crouched, his posture challenging.

The Feraligatr sniffed before she opened her mouth to drop her captive, discarding him dismissively as she shifted to face the Houndoom directly, lowering her head as her tail lashed about behind her. The grunt quickly scrambled over to his leader's side, straightening his hood as he glared before disappearing among his crowd of comrades as they prepared for battle.

"I hope you won't forget your words when I send you straight to _Hell_," the leader of Team Magma growled.

The leader of Team Aqua flashed a thumbs down. "Oh, go soak your head."

The Team Magma boss clenched his fists before he gave another wide, sweeping gesture. "Get off your ass and get ready for a pounding, you _imbecile_!"

The Houndoom let out a howl, tossing his head back as the sound pierced through the sirens that continued to echo in the background.

The Team Aqua leader leered at his rival. "Oh, it's not _my_ sweet ass that's going to be taking the _pounding_."

The masked man paused, taken aback, before he began to quiver with clenched fists. The mask made it impossible to see his face, but it didn't take much to guess that it was twisted with anger. "_Incinerate him_!"

The Houndoom reared up before he spat a burst of flame at the Feraligatr, the flame scorching the air around him as it surged forward. The Feraligatr twisted about, bringing her large tail around to smack the blaze in to nothing bit flickering sparks, the rough skin on her tail being only slightly singed. Using the momentum to spin herself about so that she was facing forward once more, the large alligator Pokémon lunged forward and snapped at the canine.

The Houndoom jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding the crushing jaws, and jumped on to the Feraligatr's head, using it as a springboard to bounce above her. Once airborne, he twisted his body about and shot another burst of fire, this time hitting his opponent directly against her back.

As the rival leaders' Pokémon fought, the two sides quickly called forth their own Pokémon in to the fray. As the grunts of Team Aqua unleashed a sea of water-type Pokémon, Team Magma answered with an avalanche of ground and fire-types that then proceeded to lunge in to battle.

The leader of Team Aqua finally stood up, balancing on the hood of the car as he grinned down from his perch at the masked man. "You're always so quick to lose your temper! Shouldn't you be a bit more _grounded_?"

"Shut up, shut up, _shut up_!" the masked man shrieked as he pointed at the pirate. "I don't need to hear that from the likes of _you_!"

"Aw, you know I only say it 'cause I love you, Masky," the Team Aqua leader cooed before letting out a bark of laughter.

"I'm going to 'Masky' _you_, all the way back to the ocean you crawled out of!" the leader of Team Magma seethed as he shook his fist at the laughing pirate.

"...What the hell does that even mean?" the black-masked man asked lowly as he stood by his leader, eying him out of the corner of his eyes.

"It means _shut up_!" the masked man snapped, not looking at his admin as he glared daggers through his mask at the leader of Team Aqua.

Team Aqua's boss scratched his beard. "You said that already. Careful. Repeat something too often and the words start to lose all meaning."

"I wouldn't have to keep repeating myself if you'd actually _shut that filthy trap of yours_!" the masked man snarled, shaking his fist at the other man.

The Feraligatr slammed her tail down, shattering the asphalt like glass as the Houndoom narrowly dodged the muscular appendage. Around them, other Pokémon fought violently against each other, attacks flying through the air. Though as focused as the other Pokémon were, both sides were quick to scamper out of the way of the Feraligatr and Houndoom as their own scuffle came in the crossfire.

Pokémon and grunts alike scrambled out of the way as the Feraligatr came crashing down, whipping her tail about as she righted herself and turned to follow the canine Pokémon. The tail narrowly missed hitting anyone on either side, slamming in to one of the vans and knocking it flatly on its side. The reptile Pokémon paid the vehicle no mind as she stood up on her haunches, taking a deep breath before sending a burst of water after the Houndoom, who quickly danced to the side before retaliating with another shot of fire.

The black-masked man side-eyed his leader again before he rolled his eyes. Raising his Pokéball, he released his own Pokémon, a red Talonflame with a white underside and black markings. The Talonflame flapped his wings to gain altitude quickly before letting out a sharp shriek and diving forward, sending a Spheal and a Wartortle scurrying out of its path.

As the fight continued to rage on with the blazing inferno consuming the warehouse as a backdrop, the sirens gradually became louder. Soon, the sounds were deafening, marking the arrival of the fire trucks – and the police. Braying Stoutlands in the distance, drawing closer with each passing second, prompted the assembled team members to stop and take notice.

"Yo! Aogiri!" a large, muscular man with bronzed skin said as he turned to his team leader. He wore the tattered remains of a dark blue wetsuit with light blue trim, in particular the gloves and lower pants fastened with a make-shift belt made out of rope. His black hair and beard were short and hugged his face, which had blue triangular markings along his cheeks, chin, and brow. A rope necklace dangled around his neck, and he bore a marking of Team Aqua on his chest, a lighter skin tone than the rest of his darkened skin. Near him, his dark blue and gray Swampert reared up to toss an Magcargo away, back towards the Team Magma grunts. "We're outta time!"

Aogiri looked over at his admin and let out a frustrated breath. "Yeah, yeah, I hear them, Ushio." He turned his gaze at his subordinates and let out a barking voice. "Okay, mates, enough playing! We're shoving off!"

The large Feraligatr snorted, giving one last tail lash in the Houndoom's general direction before she pulled back and rushed back over to Aogiri. The Houndoom crouched and watched, not removing his eyes from the retreating Pokémon even as the masked man moved to his side.

"Running away, are you? Some 'king of the sea' you are!" the masked man snapped.

Aogiri flashed the Team Magma leader a wide smile. "Sorry to leave you _unsatisfied_, Masky. You'll just have to finish playing with yourself until next time."

The masked man sputtered, glaring as the pirate was followed by the rest of his men, disappearing in to the night – and more than likely, the water. "Y-you...!"

"We don't have time for this," the black-masked man hissed as he moved closer to the boss of Team Magma.

The masked man paused, then clenched his fists before he whirled to face the assembled men and women in red and black. "We're leaving – now! Get that van back on its tires and go!"

With a flurry of motion, most Pokémon were recalled as the vans were boarded by the Team Members. The overturned van was quickly righted by the remaining Pokémon, put back on its tires. Despite the sizable dent in the side, the van started up right away when the Team Magma grunt turned on the ignition.

It wasn't a moment too soon, as it wasn't a second after the last van had been loaded up that an entire squadron of Stoutland burst on to the scene, diving through the fire to arrive at the warehouse, wearing black vests that proudly identified them as part of the police force. The canine Pokémon barked furiously as the tires of the vans shrieked, gas pedals hitting the floor and forcing the vehicles to speed down the road just as the human counterparts of the police force arrived on the scene with riot shields and guns.

The masked man grunted as he sat in the passenger's side of one of the vans with the black-masked man at the wheel. The leader of Team Magma glanced in to the rear view mirror as police shouted useless orders and aimed their guns at the fleeing vehicles. He snorted before reaching for the radio, unhooking it before activating it. "Evasive actions, standard procedure. Don't be afraid to torch the vans and the goods if you have to. We'll meet back at base in five days."

Setting the radio back on the hook, the masked man slumped back in his chair with a grunt. As sounds of confirmation from the other vans radioed in, the black-masked man frowned. He ignored his initial instinct to look at his leader, instead keeping his eyes on the road as he avoided obstacles – including the other vans – as he burst the vehicle through a chain-link fence and in to traffic. Once there, the van took off down the road, leading the smoldering warehouse and the pursuing police behind.

"...Well, that could've gone better," the admin said, dryly.

"Yes, Homura, it _could_ have," the masked man said with a weary sigh. "But when it comes to Team Aqua, those idiots have a natural talent for _screwing things up_."

Homura made a non-committal noise as he kept his eyes on the road.

The fire continued to rage on, completely consuming the warehouse and most of the surrounding area before the fire department was finally able to get it under control. The wanton damage was all the news channels could talk about that night, as well as the escape of those responsible in to the night.

* * *

"While the press release _starts_ at nine, there will be a briefing an hour before. Even then, you'll want to get there as early as possible," Homura's voice droned from the open Pokédex sitting on the bedside table, pointed upwards at the white ceiling of the luxury hotel room.

Sitting on the massive bed, the black Houndoom with red muzzle and underbelly yawned widely, showing off his white teeth before he sighed and flopped back down on to the soft mattress, causing it to rattle slightly. Nearby, a red changshan with swirling black trim and matching pants was laid out with care, with a pair of underwear, socks, and black dress shoes sitting neatly beside them.

"Afterwards, I imagine Sakaki will give you a polite tour of the facility," Homura continued. "It'll be a good opportunity to..." He trailed off as he focused more on the man he was speaking to. "...Are you even listening to me?"

A grunt came from the bathroom as a red-haired man with a slight window's peak stood in front of the mirror, wearing only a white towel about his nether regions as he brushed his teeth. His hair was wet and slick back, having just gotten out of the shower. His frame was thin, with only the barest hints of muscles on his lithe body. He spat out his toothpaste before he proceeded to rinse off his brush, rolling his red eyes. "_Honestly_, Homura. I don't need you nagging me about every single thing."

"I wonder," Homura said, dryly. "Why do I find that difficult to believe?" He brushed back his purple hair before shooting a glare into the empty air. "And why am I still talking to the ceiling?"

The red-haired man rolled his eyes again. "I just got out of the _shower_, you idiot. I can't meet my biggest financial backer smelling like _smoke_ and _sea water_."

"Oh, good," Homura said, lightly. "How nice of you to _remember_ how _important_ Silph Co. is, and how _vital_ it is that you stay in good graces with its CEO, for the sake of your company – and other activities."

"...What's that supposed to mean," the red-haired man glanced over to the Pokédex, his eyes narrowing.

"It _means_ that I would _appreciate_ it if you did your best to avoid looking like an ass on national television," Homura said. The red-haired man immediately turned his head to glare at the Pokédex. "And don't give me that look. I can't see it, but I know you're doing it. You and I both know that you have a habit of losing control over your mouth, and I'd rather it _not_ happen where millions of people are watching."

"I most certainly _do not_-!" the red-haired man began, furiously.

"Team Aqua." Homura said, simply.

The red-haired man twitched, his face twisting up in a snarl that showed off twin sharp canine fangs. "Don't bring that _brainless barbarian_ in to this!"

"You see? Every time anyone even _mentions_ that Team of his, you lose your temper," Homura said as he reached up to touch his forehead. "And you _know_ at least one of the reporters is going to ask you about either Team Magma or Team Aqua. They're the hottest topic in Hoenn right now, no pun intended, and you need to be able to answer it calmly and without incriminating yourself. You're not the Leader of Team Magma, you're Matsubusa Kazan, the founder and CEO of Kazan Industries. It's bad enough that you're going to bring Dante on television with you, you don't need to make yourself any more obvious as a target."

At the sound of his name, the Houndoom sat up and barked.

"I'm not letting Sakaki show off his fancy Persian while I keep my Dante off-screen," Matsubusa said with a snort as he moved over to the bed. He paused to lean forward and grasp the Houndoom's face, ruffling the fur on his cheeks affectionately. "Isn't that right, Dante~? You're so much better than some mangy cat, aren't you? Aren't you~?" Dante barked, his tail wagging as he tried to lick Matsubusa's face, then turned to watch as the human released him and walked over to his clean clothes. "Besides, no one has seen my face at all. Simply having a Houndoom doesn't mean anything, certainly not enough that the League would be willing to give out my private records because of it."

"Just the same, you need to keep a low profile until things have simmered down," Homura said. "Consider taking the next few days off, see the sights in Kanto-"

"Denied." Matsubusa said immediately as he lifted up the changshan on the bed.

Homura paused, then grit his teeth. "You said so yourself, you need to lay low for the next few days-"

"I said _everyone else_ needed to lay low," Matsubusa said. "I have far too much to do to waste my time sightseeing."

"You've been working nonstop for days, it's not a crime for you to take a moment to relax and recover," Homura said, his frustration becoming apparent in his voice. "It'll also give enough time for any leads the police to cool off. The investigation's still ongoing right now."

"About that," Matsubusa said as he slowly got dressed. "Did everyone escape?"

A weary sigh came from Homura. He could tell that the red-haired man was trying to change the topic. "Everyone's reported in before dropping off in to radio silence. I've had Courtney check the police records and they have no arrests, so we won't have to break anyone out of jail. We lost one of the vans, though. Apparently the police decided to target just one of us when it was clear they couldn't get us all, and Tabitha was the unlucky winner. He torched the van and everything in it, but everyone escaped safely."

"A shame," Matsubusa said, with a sigh. "But better the van than we lose anyone. We still got enough out of the raid to come out ahead, and we can blame Team Aqua for the rest."

"Which is all the more reason for you to take it easy," Homura said. "At least for a few days. We can worry about our next step later-"

"Denied, denied, _denied_," Matsubusa said as he finished adjusting his clothes, fully dressed in his outfit. "Get me the next flight out of here, and back to Hoenn. The sooner, the better."

There was silence for several moments as it seemed like Homura was about to argue. Finally, he let out another sigh, this one more resigned than the others. "Fine. But if you say anything stupid on television, I'll be sure to book you something in _coach_. You got that? I'll have them tie you to the back of the plane with rope and bungee cords."

Matsubusa smirked. "I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

Ushio's deep-throated laughter boomed through the mess hall, aided by the metal walls so that it echoed through every nook and crevice of the facility. An old military base that had been abandoned and lost to the sea of time, it had been acquired and repurposed – like several of its brethren – to serve as one of many bases for Team Aqua.

Once a facility for war, it now used for a different sort of war – a war on anyone who dared to take the ocean and all of its inhabitants lightly. But for the moment, it served as the scene of a rousing booze fest.

"Hah, did you see the looks on their faces? Freakin' priceless!" Ushio barked out, grinning from ear to ear as he picked up a fresh can of beer and popped it open before he tilted his head to chug the alcoholic beverage. He finished the entire container of liquid in one go, letting out a deep sigh after the fact as he leaned forward. "Well, except for those masked assholes. But mask or no mask, I bet Masky's face was pretty damn red underneath, just like the rest of 'em!"

Further down the table sat a woman with deep bronze skin and long wild black hair with a blue streak in bangs that partially obscured her face. She wore a skin-tight two-piece dark blue wetsuit with light blue highlights on her feet and ankles and white trim. A gold chain sat around her curvy hips like a belt and the wetsuit was open at the thighs and the shoulders, while stretching down to cover her entire arms to form gloves with only a bare thumb. On her chest was a white Team Aqua symbol, with the center circle being light blue. She wore yellow-glassed swimming goggles on her brow, and a pair of earphones could barely be seen in her luscious hair. She cast Ushio a blue-eyed glower of irritation before she focused back on the Pokédex in her hands, leaning forward as she slipped her left hand up to press the earpiece closer in to her ear.

Aogiri wrapped his arm around the dark haired girl's shoulder and thrust a mug of beer in her direction. "Oi, Izumi, don't look so glum. Sure you didn't get Puffball today, but he can't escape you forever, you know."

Izumi glanced up at her leader and offered him a sideways smile, some of the irritation easing from her features as the harshness left her eyes. She then returned her attention to the Pokédex, glancing at the small screen, which was separated in to numerous smaller boxes, each one showing a different news channel.

"Bwahahahahaaaaaa!" Ushio bellowed out his laughter again as he reached over to drape his shoulder around the male admin beside him. It was a husky man, bare-chested save for a blue vest and wearing blue bell-bottom pants and a blue bandanna with the Team Aqua logo over his long blond hair tied in a ponytail. "Did you _see_ the way Levi knocked over that van with her tail? Bwaha_ha_, I thought they were gonna shit themselves! She wasn't even tryin', neither!"

The blond choked on his drink when Ushio slapped him on the back. He coughed for a few moments before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Oh yeah. She's a real show stopper for sure. Biggest damn Feraligatr in the world can put the fear of Arceus into anyone!"

A woman with red hair as curvy as her body took a deep swig directly from a bottle before letting out an exhale of pleasure. She similarly wore the blue bell-bottom pants and a vest with the blue bandanna, but she wore a black tank top underneath. "You'd think with the double type advantage we have over them would get those Magma morons to think twice about scrapping with us."

"Hah, everyone knows there's only one cure for stupid!" Ushio said, flashing the redhead a toothy grin. He lifted his right arm to flex his muscles, clenching his fist as he slapped his bicep with his other hand. "_Beat it outta 'em_!"

Among the humans fraternizing in the mess hall were the human's Pokémon, which did little to help the already large crowd already filling the room to capacity. Among the Pokémon was the large Feraligatr who had withstood Dante's assault as well as Ushio's Swampert named Typhoon, a dark blue and green Blastoise that served as Matt's partner Kappa, Shelly's a black and blue Garchomp named Goliath, and Izumi's own purple Gyarados called Ryuko. All five of the Pokémon were enjoying the festivities as well, though they kept close to their trainers.

The large Feraligatr, Leviathan, moved up behind Aogiri and spooned him, resting her chin on his head as she put her full weight against him and rumbled playfully, her long tail wagging.

Aogiri laughed as he shouldered his heavy Pokémon with the practiced ease of someone who spent hours building up his muscles. "Not even Kyogre can put the fear of Arceus into people better than my dear Levi." He reached up to scratch the Feraligatr's chin, making her pleasured rumbling increase. Leviathan tilted her head as she grinned, her razor sharp teeth glittering in the light as she enjoyed the attention.

"It just sucks we hadda leave at the best part, y'know?" Ushio said as he shook his head. "I woulda _loved_ to see 'em havin' to deal with the cops! Thinkin' they were so clever, and we just pissed all over their plans!"

Aogiri chuckled. "Who wants to take bets how many of them got tossed in the clink this time?"

Izumi's eyes remained focused on her Pokédex as she ignored the boasting of her fellow admins and her leader, continuing her scanning of the news channels as she reached over to grab her open bottle of beer and brought it to her lips. She stopped in mid-sip, her eyes widening. She quickly set her bottle down and moved her finger to tap at one of the news screens, maximizing it over the others. She watched the screen closely, leaning forward as her eyebrows furrowed, before a flash of fury raced across her face. She slammed her hand right against the table, rattling the cans and bottles currently scattered across it as she held her Pokédex tightly in the other hand. She stood up sharply, knocking over her drink.

The jovial smile on Aogiri's face faded as he looked to Izumi's harsh expression. "What's up?"

Izumi didn't respond as she stalked past the other admins and the assembled grunts, who turned to stare at her in confusion as they stopped their celebrating. She stormed over to the large monitor on the wall, her footsteps loud and heavy against the metal floor. While old, the monitor was still fully functional, and the black-haired woman wasted no time in pulling out the adapter plug from her Pokédex and attaching it to the electronic device. As she did, the monitor came alive, the sound coming before the image did.

"-but what can you expect from a supposed _team_ lead by a delusional _moron_ that thinks he's _king of the sea_?"

The words silenced all conversation in the mess hall as the image snapped in to focus, displaying a large crowd of reporters in front of a podium where two men stood with their Pokémon. One was a muscular, tall man in a black business suit with neat, short black hair and a face that didn't betray any emotion. Beside him, a sparkling white Persian with silver tips looked impassively over the assembled humans without even a passing interest. On the other side was Matsubusa, who revealed himself to be the one currently speaking as Dante sat beside him obediently.

"Quite frankly, I don't believe they're anything that the people of Kanto – or Hoenn – should be worried about," Matsubusa said with a dismissive wave of his hand and a small smirk on his face. "And it's certainly not something that we at Kazan Industries would give any thought to. It's only a matter of time before the police apprehend that buffoon and his hooligans, so it's really not worth _anyone's_ time or attention."

"So you're quite confident that Team Aqua will be apprehended and their activities stopped?" one of the reporters asked.

"Of course," Matsubusa replied, with an easy smile. "As I said, the man is clearly _delusional_. Their whole team is reminiscent of a band of toddlers going around, pushing people off the swings and squealing for attention. I can't imagine the police would have any trouble taking care of the lot of them, if they actually _bothered_ to take them _seriously_."

"And what of Team Magma?" another reporter asked.

Matsubusa paused then looked at his hand absently, as if checking his fingernails. "We at Kazan Industries take great pride in our ecologically friendly facilities and our dedication to minimizing our impact on the environment. As a result, we haven't been a constant target of Team Magma. So long as we continue our efforts in protecting the environment, I hope that we can _continue_ to avoid their ire."

"But isn't it basically blackmail?" the reporter asked. "In essence, you are giving Team Magma what they want."

"I disagree," Matsubusa said with a shake of his head. "We are doing what we should have been doing all along. The fact that there's a team out there targeting businesses that don't has nothing to do with that, or us. Silph Co. is similarly dedicated to protecting the environment, which is one of the reasons why we are quite honored to be working beside them on this venture," Matsubusa turned to give the man beside him a sideways grin. "For such a large company to be so efficient-"

"_Who the hell does that asshole think he is_!?" Ushio's voice boomed through the mess hall again as he slammed his fist on to the table, cracking it. His anger was palpable, and it spread through the assembled grunts as they grumbled and grunted while glaring at the television screen. "I'll rip off his scrawny twig arms and _beat_ 'im with 'em!"

A growl of agreement came from the assembled grunts, furious eyes turning to the big screen as a fire burned in alcohol-filled bellies. Several beer cans flew across the mess hall towards the screen, regardless of how futile the action was as the redhead on the screen continued onward without any knowledge of the animosity his words were generating.

"So, just to clarify, you're saying that you don't consider Team Aqua to be a threat to this venture?" one of the reporters asked.

Matsubusa waved his hand dismissively, as if he were striking away the question like an annoying insect that refused to leave. "Not even _remotely_. They ambush boats or costal docks, cause a bit of vandalism and rabblerousing, and then flee with their tails between their legs when the police arrive. They have no goals, no clear intentions, and no aspirations beyond mischief and _inanity_. I'd call them a bunch of _drunken fraternity trash_, but I doubt a single one of them has ever set foot in an _elementary school_, let alone a _university_."

Izumi bristled, her lips curling up in a snarl.

Shelly slammed her mug down on the table hard enough to crack it. "Why that lousy, no good..."

"That smug son of a bitch!" Ushio snarled as he shook his fist at the screen. "He just doesn't know when to shut his trap!"

Matt scowled. "Has he even been paying attention to who we are? We're not that idiotic Team Rocket!"

Aogiri narrowed his eyes at the close up shot of Matsubusa. "Izumi, freeze it."

Izumi glared at the screen, her hand quaking as she gripped her Pokédex. Thankfully, the device was quite sturdy and able to survive her ire without damage. She was about to comment when Aogiri's words cut through her anger. She quickly paused the video, with Matsubusa front and center in front of the screen.

Aogiri grabbed a sheet of paper from the pile in front of Matt, who cried out in alarm as he started tearing it into pieces. He ignored his admin as he carefully tore the paper in to a rough approximation of an oval. Closing one eye, he held the paper in front of him so that it covered Matsubusa's face from his perspective. A low hum rumbled in his throat as his eyes narrowed.

Ushio frowned as he looked at the screen, then at the boss of Team Aqua. "Y'know, I wanna cover up his ugly face too, but I was thinkin' more my _fist_ than a bit of paper."

Izumi cast Ushio an irritated scowl before she returned her attention to Aogiri. "What is it?"

A slow smile appeared on Aogiri's face. "Just a hunch, but any of you think that voice and that chin seem _familiar_ at all?"

"Sure," Shelly said. "The guy only appears on the news all the time to wank off his own company."

Izumi hesitated as she furrowed her brow. "...Now that you mention it, something about him _does_ feel kind of familiar."

"You hear one blabbermouth, you hear 'em all!" Ushio said with a wave of his hand. "What's so special about this guy-oi!" He yelped as Leviathan suddenly shoved past him. "Oi, oi, Levi! What's up?"

Leviathan grabbed Aogiri's arm as she let out a stream of growls and grunts, her tail lashing behind her vigorously.

Aogiri looked over at Leviathan knowingly. "You noticed it too, didn't you, Levi." He glanced at Izumi. "Go back to his Houndoom real fast."

Izumi hesitated before she did as she was asked, rewinding until she could see the canine Pokémon. Her eyes widened as she nearly dropped her Pokédex, getting a good look at the distinctive black and red Houndoom. "Is that-!?"

Matt frowned. "What is it?"

Shelly glanced at the screen before she started to turn to Levi, only to look back again. "Hey, wait..."

Leviathan snapped her jaws, her tail continuing to lash about as she rumbled deep in her throat.

"What? _What_? I don't get it!" Ushio said, looking at the other admins and then the screen. "It's a stupid dog, just like the one that masked idiot..." The large man trailed off, his eyes widening.

Aogiri set the paper down, a wicked smile on his face. "Well now... I think we've got our next big heist to plan."

* * *

"_What did you just say_!?" Matsubusa demanded as he glared furiously at Homura's face through the Pokédex. Thankfully, he was back in his hotel room, so no one except the guests in the rooms immediately around him could hear his voice. However, the redhead wasn't particularly concerned about being overheard at that moment.

"I think you heard me just fine," Homura said, his tone icy as he matched the redhead's hot stare with an cold one of his own. "You just didn't like what I said."

Matsubusa grit his teeth, baring his fangs at the purple-haired assistant. "What do you _mean_ you aren't going to buy me a plane ticket?!"

"I _mean_ that you _ran your mouth_ quite a bit at today's press conference, after I _specifically_ told you _not to_," Homura replied, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair. He sat at his desk at Kazan Industries, in his private office. It allowed Matsubusa to shriek at him without their employees hearing. It also kept them from hearing Homura give their leader the dressing down he was clearly due for. "And now everyone in Kanto _and_ Hoenn are talking about it, and you. And some are even taking _bets_."

"...Bets?" Matsubusa repeated, his brow creasing slightly.

"Bets on _how long_ it will take until Team Aqua decides to cash the check you wrote _with your mouth_," Homura said, staring hard at Matsubusa.

Matsubusa paused at that before he let out a dismissive snort. "I'm not in the _least _bit concerned-"

"Be thankful that's _all_ they're talking about," Homura said, his voice cutting through Matsubusa's own. "I'd rather hear them discussing you 'getting what's coming to you' rather than speculation about any possible connections to Team Magma. You were _particularly _charitable to _our _team, after all."

Matsubusa bristled. "I was simply _emphasizing_ our dedication to-"

"You're staying in Kanto," Homura said, his tone final. "And you won't be doing any more interviews. I've already declined all further requests for comment, so don't even _think_ about it. You're staying right where you are, out of sight, until people _stop talking_."

Matsubusa's jaw dropped as he stared at his personal assistant before his expression twisted with outrage. "That could take _days_!"

"Or _weeks_," Homura agreed.

"_Weeks_-!?" Matsubusa sputtered, then gripped his Pokédex tightly and began to shake it as if he were shaking Homura. "No! _No_! Absolutely_ not_! I'm not going to put everything on _hold_ for _weeks_ because of a bunch of _gossips_-!"

"Tabitha and I have the company nicely covered in your absence," Homura said, blandly. "And Courtney is doing very well managing Project Shinka. Why, we might even have a functional prototype by the time you get back from Kanto."

Matsubusa grit his teeth, his fangs prominent. "Homura-!"

"Try and relax, for once," Homura said, ignoring his leader's obvious anger and protests. "There's plenty to see in Kanto, and who knows? You might even _enjoy_ it."

"Homura, I _demand_ you-" Matsubusa began, pointing at his personal assistant.

"I'll talk to you later this evening," Homura said, with a smile. "Goodbye."

"_Don't you dare_-!" Matsubusa shrieked, but his voice fell on deaf ears as Homura ended the call, leaving the redhead alone with just his Pokédex – and Dante, who watched the entire call from the bed.

Matsubusa quivered as he gripped his Pokédex, then whirled to Dante. "That... that _bastard_! This is insubordination! _Insubordination_!"

Dante crawled to the edge of the bed and nuzzled his nose against Matsubusa's side as he let out a sympathetic whine.

Matsubusa he threw his Pokédex down on the bed, the device bouncing against the mattress, before he flopped down beside his Pokémon. With a frustrated growl, he reached up to cover his face. "That bastard... he's treating me like a damn _child_!"

Dante stretched out beside Matsubusa and snuggled close to his trainer, offering his silent support.

Matsubusa clenched his fists and raised them skyward. "_He's_ the one behaving like a child!"

Dante looked his trainer over before discreetly turning his gaze elsewhere.

"I should just go buy the tickets myself!" Matsubusa huffed before he paused. He admittedly hadn't handled his own shopping in a long time, be it for groceries, clothing, or anything else. Homura had pretty much taken over everything, and Matsubusa certainly hadn't complained. However, as a result, he had no idea what to _do_; he'd need to interact with people at the very least, and the idea alone was _daunting_. The redhead grimaced before he allowed his hands to fall back to the bed, heavily. "...Well, whatever. He'll calm down soon enough. The bastard's just having a temper tantrum. There's no way he'd be able to handle me being so far away."

Dante rested his chin against Matsubusa's chest and let out an agreeable bark.

Matsubusa reached his hands up to begin petting Dante, ruffling his pointed ears before scratching his cheeks. "Thank goodness I brought my laptop. I can get _some_ work done while I wait for him to cave. If he thinks I'm just going to idly sit around like a damn _tourist_, then he clearly doesn't know me as well as he thinks he does."

Dante rumbled in pleasure and let out another bark, his tail wagging.

"Stupid Homura," Matsubusa grumbled as he continued to pet his Houndoom, affectionately rubbing his cheeks. "As if I'm worried about _Team Aqua_. I doubt those idiots even _watch_ the news."

* * *

As night settled in over Kanto and the world was winding down, Team Aqua was gearing up for their latest and most important mission yet. Across the road from the Painted Suites hotel, Shelly watched through binoculars as Matsubusa closed the curtain to the balcony, cutting off her view of the inside. "Target confirmed," she said quietly over the radio headset.

"In position," Izumi's own voice came over the radio, as she was in a separate part of the building – in the basement, to be specific. Glancing around cautiously to make sure no one was around to see her, she then turned her attention to the circuit breaker to the building. "Ready when you are."

Aogiri sauntered to the front of the hotel with a smile on his face. Behind him were many men and women wearing blue, black, and white. Ushio stood to his right, cracking his knuckles with a bright grin, while Matt stood to his left with his arms crossed. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's showtime."

By the time it took Aogiri to reach the front door, all of the lights inside went out, and Team Aqua invaded the Painted Suites hotel.

Matsubusa was busy typing away at his laptop, sitting comfortably at the small table in the room, when the lights suddenly went out. The redhead was plunged in to darkness, with only the glow of the laptop screen illuminating his face. He blinked and glanced upwards at the defunct lights, then frowned. He was fortunate that his laptop's battery was charged, or he would've been _furious_ instead of _annoyed_. "Is this some kind of joke."

Dante snapped his head up, roused from a gentle doze to a much more alert posture. His eyes glowed red in the dark, making the Houndoom look especially unnerving, but Matsubusa had long since grown to find comfort in the sight.

Matsubusa let out a growl as he closed his laptop and stood up sharply, kicking back his chair. Between the news conference and Homura, his patience had long since been used up. Being plunged in to darkness, on top of everything else, was just too much. "If they think I'm going to tolerate this nonsense for _one moment_, they're out of their damn minds!"

Dante was at Matsubusa's heels in an instant, dutifully following his trainer towards the door.

Matsubusa noticed his Pokémon following and turned to look at him. "Stay and guard the room. With the power out, the electronic locks aren't going to work, and I'll be damned if some moron just waltzes in to steal my belongings while I'm getting the staff to turn on their backup generators."

Dante planted his rump to the floor and let out a bark that illuminated his mouth with a lick of flames, his body posture rigid and on guard.

Matsubusa nodded with approval before he turned to the door. Without the lock keeping it shut, he was able to easily push it open before he stormed out in to the hallway. As he stomped through the darkened hall, barely illuminated by emergency lights that ran along the sides of the floor, he noticed other patrons peering out their doors cautiously before watching him as he made his way to the stairs. He was quite confident that Dante would have no problems dealing with the lot of them, should any decide to take advantage of the situation.

Matsubusa bypassed the elevator entirely, as he knew it would be useless without power. With a disgruntled growl, he kicked open the door to the stairwell and began the long trek down to the first floor. Each stomp echoed loudly as he followed the spiral staircase down, down, down until he reached the first floor. His foul mood only worsened with each step, until he unceremoniously kicked open the door at the bottom of the stairwell, entering the lobby. "_Why haven't you imbeciles turned on the backup generators yet_!?"

Every pair of eyes in the crowd gathered in the lobby turned to Matsubusa. Unfortunately, not one of them belonged to any patron or employee of the Painted Suites hotel.

Aogiri swept his arms out as he approached Matsubusa. "Oh lookie here, just the man we're here to see!"

Matsubusa paused, his anger temper momentarily disrupted by the sight of not only Aogiri and two of his admins but also dozens of grunts in obvious uniform. He stood in the doorway to the stairwell, staring at Aogiri as he tried to process the situation. "...Eh?"

"Y'hear the bastard?" Ushio said as he turned to Matt, jerking a thumb towards the redhead. "Stompin' around and barkin' orders like he owns the place. Damn rude, dontcha think?"

Matt stifled a snicker behind his hand. "Cheeky bastard isn't he?"

Aogiri loomed over the redhead, leaning against the doorway, his arm so close to Matsubusa's head the leader of Team Magma could feel the heat of his skin through his wetsuit. "So then, Mr. Kazan, you are cordially invited to join us on an all expense paid trip to our private island."

Matsubusa instinctively stepped back away from Aogiri, his cheeks tinting lightly at the sudden closeness. He quickly tried to compose himself, scowling as he glared up at the pirate. "Y-you... what the hell are you _babbling_ about!? What are _you_ doing in _Kanto_!?"

Aogiri extended his hand with a mock bow to Matsubusa. "Why, we're here for _you, _of course. I thought it was obvious by my invitation." He gave a flex of his muscles, which was obvious even in the limited visibility granted by the flashlights the other members of the team carried. "Or were you too _distracted_ to listen to a word I said?"

Matsubusa's eyes drifted over to the flexing muscles before he jerked them back to the pirate's face. He could only hope that the darkness hid the redness of his face, as he didn't have the luxury of his mask to do it for him. "...'Invitation'."

Aogiri chuckled, as he saw all too well where Matsubusa eyes had strayed and the tinting of the other man's cheeks. "By the looks of it, I can see you're _very_ interested in accepting, so why don't we just head off? My mates will go bring your stuff."

Matsubusa bristled, gritting his teeth. "D-don't be ridiculous! I have _no intention_ of going _anywhere_ with you!"

"Funny," Aogiri said as he leaned in close enough that their noses almost touched. "You say that like you think I'm just going to back down." He drew in closer, the edge of his beard drawing a ticklish line along Matsubusa's cheek. "I would've thought you knew me better than that by now..." His voice went low as his lips hovered a breath away from the other man's ear. "_Masky._"

Matsubusa trembled, his breathing hitching as Aogiri kept invading his personal space. He was about to retort when the name made him pause. His eyebrows shot straight up as he jerked his head up to stare at Aogiri with wide eyes. "...What did you just say?"

Aogiri barely held back the laughter building inside of him as he saw the spectrum of shock and horror that played across Matsubusa's face. He cupped the redhead's chin, lightly stroking underneath with his thumb. "I always knew that the faces you make under that mask of yours would be absolutely _priceless_."

Matsubusa's jaw dropped as he gaped at Aogiri, shock and embarrassment warring with him as his face couldn't decide if it should go pale white or bright red. Struggling for a response, he quickly jerked back until he bumped in to the railing of the stairs, his hand pointing at Aogiri. "_I don't know what you're talking about there's no Masky here_!"

Aogiri couldn't hold it in and longer and let out a roar of laughter. "Now I see why you wear that mask all the time – you've got the world's _lousiest_ poker face!"

Matsubusa's face twisted with rage as he bared his teeth at Aogiri, his fanged canines prominent. "Shut up, shut up, _shut up_! I'll make you regret laughing at _me_-!" The redhead paused in mid-threat as his hand went for his belt, only to find that Dante's Pokéball wasn't there. He paused as his eyes widened, realization hitting him like an icy wind. He had left his Pokédex, Pokéball, and Pokémon all back in his room. "...Ah."

Aogiri snatched the wrist of the hand that failed to snatch a Pokéball and loomed closer to the redhead. "Looks like you're not ready for company tonight. Lucky me. That makes things _so_ much easier."

Matsubusa squeaked as Aogiri grabbed his wrist, prompting the redhead to grab the pirate's arm to try and pry it off. "L-let go!"

The difference in strength between them was obvious as Aogiri easily pulled Matsubusa closer so that their chests pressed flushed together, leaving little more than fabric to separate them. "Somehow I don't think you really mean that, Masky."

Matsubusa's breathing hitched, his face turning a deep shade of crimson as the pirate released his wrist only to slip it around to press up against the small of his back. The touch alone sent a jolt up his spine, and he found it increasingly difficult to focus. Even as the pirate was referring to him by his pet name, it was so hard to give that horrifying revelation proper attention when the pirate's scent and warmth was wafting over him like a sea breeze. His body wanted to melt in to the firmness around him and, for the briefest of moments, the thought crossed his mind that perhaps it wasn't such a bad situation after all.

However, that thought was immediately _squashed_ when he heard a light snicker, prompting the redhead's eyes to drift past the pirate and back in to the reception area. Inside, he saw a sea of smirking faces watching them, and the realization hit him _hard_ – they had seen everything. The redhead's eyebrows shot up before he let out a strangled shriek of mortification, attempting to scream out words of denial only to have them come out as a stream of nonsense as he scrambled back away from the pirate, shoving him back with both hands.

The sudden resistance made Aogiri give ground by a single step, his eyebrows raised. "What? I didn't even touch your butt yet."

Matsubusa could only offer more incoherent words in the pirate's direction before he whirled and proceeded to scramble up the steps, fleeing both the scene and Aogiri as quickly as he could.

Aogiri snapped his fingers as his mirth died down a little. "Damn. Looks like Masky needs a little more time to get turned on."

Matt looked awkwardly at the rest of the Team Aqua members standing around, many laughing at Matsubusa's hasty retreat. "I don't think that was the problem here."

Matsubusa climbed back up the stairs in record time, leaping up them two at a time. He didn't even dare glance back to see if he was being chased – he just wanted to leave everything behind him, _far_ behind him. Besides, the sound of footsteps echoing in the stairwell hinted at far more feet tromping against the steps than his own. When the redhead finally got to the top of the stairs, he rushed out the door and in to the hallway. He didn't even spare the gawking people a glance, pushing them aside as he rushed back to his room. "_Dante_!"

Dante was instantly on alert at the sheer panic in Matsubusa's tone, sparks dancing between his teeth as he barked sharply.

Matsubusa used the sound of his Pokémon's bark to find his way back to his room, rushing in side. He pulled it closed behind him, not that it would do much good without a lock, before he whirled to Dante. "T-T-Team Aqua-!"

Dante's eyes widened before he turned to the door and bared his teeth in a nasty growl, readying for a fight.

Matsubusa grabbed his Pokédex and shoved it in his pocket, then swiftly grabbed an armchair and placed it in front of the door. Stepping back, he took a moment to catch his breath, clasping his hands over his chest. He glanced down to Dante, the Houndoom growling at the unseen threats he knew were coming. While it was a comforting sight, the fact remained that the pirate not only had his own Pokémon but his entire team was there as well. Even if he only included the captain and his admins, it was still three verses one. Dante was hopelessly outnumbered, and the type disadvantage didn't help. Staying and fighting was the _last_ thing either of them should do.

Frowning, Matsubusa turned to the window. He hurried over to pull the curtains open, revealing the nighttime view from his balcony. He quickly unlocked the balcony door, pushing it open before he turned to his Houndoom. "Dante!"

Dante snapped to attention, awaiting orders obediently.

"We're leaving!" Matsubusa announced before he stepped out on to the balcony, heading to the railing.

Shelly readjusted her binoculars to get a better look at the balcony where their target had retreated to, even as she continued to speak in to her radio. "He returned to his room. He seems to be trying to hide on the balco..." She paused, jaw dropping. "Oh... you are _not_ going to believe this, Boss. He's _climbing_ over the rail!"

Aogiri's voice came with a tinge of something close to panic over the communication link. "I thought the fire escapes were disabled!"

"They are," Shelly said, unable to take her eyes from the scene. "He's climbing down with his bare hands like he's done this a million times before. Unbelievable."

The worry evaporated from Aogiri's tone as he barked out a laugh after a moment's pause to take the news in. "I should've known Masky would surprise me!"

"You're recording that, right?" Matt asked. "I've got to see it!"

"You mean to tell me that scrawny little twig is capable of doing it without breaking his neck!?" Izumi demanded, from her position in the basement with the circuit breaker.

Shelly clicked on the record feature of her night vision binoculars, getting footage of Matsubusa as he scaled the bricks of the hotel with surprising dexterity and nimbleness. She was dumbfounded as she zoomed in closer to see that the leader of Team Magma's face was strangely calm despite scaling the side of a high-rise building without any sort of equipment, let alone with such efficiency. Dante remained right by his side the entire way, easily jumping down from balcony to balcony as though each rail was just another step, waiting for his trainer to join him before he moved to the next one lower down. "Like he's got suction cups on his hands and that Houndoom of his is a damn mountain Gogoat."

"Crap, what do we do!?" Ushio asked as he turned to Aogiri. "Everyone's on the top friggin' floor!"

"I might be able to make it, if I move now," Izumi said as she eyed the exit to the basement. "Do you want me to ditch my post?"

Aogiri turned back to the stairwell that he had just finished jogging up. "Do it! Shelly, you move in too! We're not letting him slip through our fingers now!"

"Got it!" Izumi said as she snapped the circuit breaker closed, then rushed for the exit to the basement. While she had been tempted to turn the power back on so that her comrades could use the elevators, it'd also enable the phones – and locks.

"Roger," Shelly said, shaking off the lingering bewilderment she felt as Matsubusa safely drew ever nearer to the ground. She reached down for her Pokéball and summoned her partner. "Come on, Goliath, let's fly!"

Goliath, the black and blue Garchomp from before, let out a growl before he crouched, giving his trainer access to his back. The instant Shelly was on his back he took off like a bullet from a gun towards the hotel.

Izumi raced around the side of the hotel, arriving just in time for Dante and Matsubusa to arrive on the bottom floor. She reached for her belt to grab her Pokéball, releasing her own partner. "Ryuko!"

Matsubusa jerked his head about to stare at her, then spat out a curse as he turned to his Houndoom. "Dante!"

As red light took the form of the massive purple Gyarados, Dante exhaled an attack, not flames but smoke. The black cloud created by the Houndoom smothered every streetlight and left the entire area in choking darkness.

Shelly yanked Goliath to a stop, but she was too late for them to escape the cloud, leaving both trainer and Pokémon choking on the smoke.

Izumi was already gagging, trying to cover her mouth as her eyes began to water. "D-damn! Ryu... Ryuko!"

Matsubusa had been prepared for the attack and pulled out a handkerchief, covering his mouth and nose. It didn't help his eyes at all, but he didn't need to see in order to find his way out. As if on cue, Dante grabbed the edge of his changshan and tugged, and the redhead dutifully obeyed his Pokémon, walking in the direction that Dante guided him.

Ryuko flailed about blindly, choking on the smoke as badly as her trainer. Unfortunately, she wasn't as adapted to the fog as Dante, and her tail accidentally slapped into Izumi, sending her sprawling into the grass.

Ushio was the first of the other group to arrive, and rushed right in to the smoke before he could realize what was happening. The large man stumbled before slamming in to Ryuko, knocking the Gyarados backwards and to the ground. He choked and gagged, fanning desperately at his face as he tried to fumble to his feet. "B-boss! S-smoke!" He shouted, through his coughs, hoping that his warning would reach Aogiri before it was too late.

To the misfortune of Aogiri and the rest of Team Aqua, just the act of opening the doors was enough to invite the smoke inside the hotel. The result was chaos as dozens of people were sent into coughing fits while fumbling blindly in choking blackness.

By the time the smoke had finally dissipated and the members of Team Aqua could see and breathe freely again, both Matsubusa and Dante had long since disappeared in to the night.


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn't until Matsubusa had put some considerable distance between himself and Team Aqua did the redhead realize that he had left all his belongings at the hotel, from his clothes to his laptop. The only thing he still had was his Pokédex, the device sitting in his pocket as he hid in a dark alley behind a convenience store, eyeing the shadows warily as he caught his breath.

Dante stood on top of the store's dumpster, giving him the advantage of height as his glowing red eyes scanned the darkness diligently for any sign of their pursuers.

Matsubusa wanted to lean against the wall for support, but knew better. The last thing he needed was alley filth on his clean clothes, leaving foreign stains and smudges. Instead, he simply crossed his arms and hunched his shoulders forward. "...At least I have my Pokédex, but Homura's going to kill me for losing my laptop." He had absolutely no doubts that Team Aqua was looting his room at that very moment, taking everything of value – including his laptop. Thankfully, they wouldn't find anything incriminating on it. He wasn't so stupid as to keep anything Team Magma related on it, and the laptop was password protected and would log him out after ten minutes of inactivity. He was certain the trip to the reception desk and back was more than enough time for the laptop to lock up. "Bastards..."

Dante let out a small rumble of agreement, but kept his attention focused on scanning their surroundings.

Matsubusa tilted his head back as he closed his eyes. "So, now what?" The rather obvious course of action would've been to contact Homura and tell him of the situation, but he was very reluctant to do that. He could already hear his personal assistant launch in to a lecture, especially since he had been proven right about Team Aqua retaliating against him. Matsubusa _hated_ it when Homura was proven right.

The second option was to go to either the police or even Sakaki for assistance, but much like Homura, neither were truly an option. Somehow, Aogiri had figured out his identity. The _last_ thing he needed was to involve outside parties and risk Aogiri retaliating by mentioning his connection to Team Magma. Even if he had no proof, the mere suggestion would be enough to jumpstart an investigation. Matsubusa knew the pirate well enough to know that so long as he kept other people out of their 'games', Aogiri in turn would do the same. That meant Matsubusa had to resolve the situation internally, and _that_ meant he had to solve the situation _himself_.

"...I just need to get myself back to Hoenn," Matsubusa said as he finally opened his eyes, turning to look at Dante. "_Then_ we can figure out what to do about... the rest of it."

Dante's eyes met Matsubusa's as he let out a short bark to denote his agreement before he returned his focus to keeping his trainer safe.

Matsubusa sighed as he reached up to wipe at his chin with the back of his hand. The tender touch of the pirate against his skin had long since worn off, but he couldn't help his mind drifting back to it before forcibly shoving it back on topic. "First order of business, a taxi. It'll put more distance between us and that bastard, and there's no way in hell I'd walk to the airport anyway."

* * *

An unmarked semi-truck thrummed along the highway in the dead of night, its dinged exterior masking that it was actually a cleverly disguised transport vehicle carting the members of Team Aqua along in style. In the front cabin, Shelly sat at the wheel in dark clothes instead of her signature uniform, with Izumi similarly dressed at her side. The only lights were the occasional headlight flickering into the cabin and the bluish glow of the stolen laptop screen shining on Izumi's face as she broke into Matsubusa's files.

"Shelly," Izumi called, her eyes focused on the laptop. "Take a look at this."

Shelly took a quick scan of the long stretch of highway before she leaned over to catch a peek at the laptop screen. "Found something juicy?"

"Something like that," Izumi said with a sly smile before she clicked on a file, bringing up a picture. Shelly was immediately greeted by the sight of Homura in casual clothes, wearing a red apron as he worked at an outdoor barbecue grill. He was quirking his eyebrow at the photographer, his expression deadpan.

Shelly scanned the face, committing it to memory. She matched the build of the man with the members of Team Magma and the thought of the person who fit the best sent a thrill through her. "Bird Boy."

"The file name has 'Homura' in it," Izumi said. "There are a _ton_ of pictures on here, and videos."

Shelly took a moment to check the road before looking back at the screen as Izumi helpfully brought up a few more pictures of Homura. "Oh yes, the way he stands and moves, that build... That's got to be him."

Izumi grinned. "His face anything like you imagined?"

"Oh yes," Shelly practically purred as she squeezed the steering wheel, almost caressing it. "He's got _exactly_ the type of face I always pictured wiping the smug smile off. I can't wait to do it to him without that mask in the way."

Izumi giggled as she continued clicking, then stopped. Her eyes widened as she got to a picture of Tabitha, which captured him at an apparently unguarded moment. His face was lit up with laughter as he brought his hand towards his smiling mouth, as though he had intended to stifle the reaction but was too late to avoid it being recorded for posterity. The fluffy red sweater he wore, along with the slight rumpling of his hair all added to soften his features, making him seem surprisingly gentle. "It's Puffball!"

Shelly caught a glimpse of the man on screen, as well as his name. "Tabitha, huh? I'm surprised. His name is as cute and cuddly as his face." She flashed Izumi a grin. "It's like he was tailor made for you."

Izumi giggled as she reached up to clasp her cheeks with her hands. "He's _adorable_~!"

The door to the sleeping cabin at the back of the slid open so that the two men using the bed as a bench could look into the front seats. "I hear laughter," Aogiri said eagerly. "You find something good, Izumi?"

Shelly returned her eyes to the road, keeping watch for anyone that might chance to peek inside and see Aogiri and Matt in their obviously Team Aqua clothing. "More like verifying she found someone good, Boss."

Izumi looked up to smile brightly at Aogiri. "There are a bunch of pictures, the whole team might even be here!"

Matt leaned forward to peer over Izumi's shoulder. "Oh, that guy's Puffball, right?"

"Has to be," Izumi said, gleefully. "He's perfect~!"

Aogiri glimpsed at the screen and laughed. "Congrats, Izumi! Looks like you've got a cutie pie there."

Izumi nodded as she giggled before she flipped back to the picture of Homura at the grill. "We think this is Bird Boy."

Aogiri let out a low hum as he examined Homura's face. "If he isn't, then Masky must love surrounding himself with guys who cram sticks up their butt for fun."

Izumi went on to check more pictures, coming to a stop of a picture of Kagari. She had a sly smile on her face as she stood by a tree, wearing a very flattering sundress of white with rose trim. What really made the picture was a couple walking in the background, the man outright gawking at Kagari as he craned his head while his girlfriend gave him the ugliest stink eye Izumi had ever seen.

Matt cocked his head slightly at the picture. "Legs. Gotta be."

Aogiri let out a low whistle. "That lady knows how to use her looks like a deadly weapon."

Izumi let out a hum before she scanned the thumbnails of the other pictures for someone they hadn't seen yet. She immediately spotted something and clicked on it, blowing up a picture of Courtney wearing, of all things, a felt Torchic hoodie. Her expression could be most kindly described as deadpan as she stared straight into the camera, holding what looked to be a marshmallow Torchic with the head bitten off. The overall effect was somehow unsettling.

The admins and captain of Team Aqua stared at the picture for several moments before their voices united as one. "Smiley."

Aogiri leaned against Izumi's chair, feeling a rush of excitement. "Now that we know their faces, we'll catch those suckers in no time!"

Izumi continued to root through the seemingly endless supply of photos before she clicked on a video, causing it to pop up on the screen. It was the shot of the park that the other pictures seemed to take place in, a vertical shot caught on a Pokédex. Tabitha, Courtney, and Kagari all sat around a picnic table as the scene panned across them before finally settling on Homura as he approached the table with a tray full of grilled meat – hamburgers, hotdogs, and steak. As the personal assistant set down the tray, he turned to look at the photographer, his expression exasperated.

"Really? Are you going to put that thing down at _any_ point?" Homura asked.

The Pokédex shifted to focus directly on Homura's face, zooming in. "Are you going to stop complaining at any point?" Matsubusa's voice came from somewhere off-screen, implicating him as the one taking the video.

Homura rolled his eyes before he reached over to the Pokédex, swiftly taking it from the man's hand and turning it sideways before handing it back. "At least do it _landscape_, so you can get more in the shot."

"Oh, leave him be," Kagari said, with a chuckle. "You know how excited he gets. If he wants to take pictures the whole time, that's fine."

"I-I'm not excited!" Matsubusa protested as he focused the Pokédex on Kagari's face, capturing her knowing smile as she clearly didn't believe him. "I'm testing the camera!"

"For over an hour now," Homura said, his tone bemused.

Courtney suddenly appeared in frame leaning in too close to Homura for comfort as she peered at the grill. "Is the bacon ready yet?"

Homura paused to look at Courtney, then wordlessly picked up a bowl beside the grill before extending it to her.

Courtney accepted the bowl and plucked a crispy piece of bacon out before walking off camera munching on her prize.

Suddenly the video jerked around wildly before it focused on a close up view of Dante as he tugged on Matsubusa's sleeve. He let out a friendly growl, his tail wagging hard.

Matsubusa chuckled. "You want to get recorded too?"

Dante released Matsubusa's sleeve and snatched up a plastic disk from the ground beside him. He hopped up onto his hind legs and spun around in place in a comedic little dance before he landed in front of his trainer, nudging the redhead with the toy.

"Hoh? I wonder what Dante wants," Matsubusa said, his amused tone ruining his feign of innocence as he shifted the view from the frisbee to the Houndoom. "What could it be?"

Dante raised his ears as his eyes widened in an incredulous look. He then made a show of tossing the frisbee up into the air above his head before doing an impressive back flip, catching the bright pink plastic disk before it could hit the ground again. Once back on the ground, he pawed at the grass and nudged Matsubusa with the frisbee again.

"Stop teasing him," Homura said, his tone amused. "Or he might start spitting fire and _melt_ it."

"Alright, alright," Matsubusa laughed. He looked at the frisbee for a moment, the video acting as his eyes as he examined the plastic disk, before the screen panned to Tabitha. "Tabitha, will you throw it? I want to record it."

Tabitha set down his drink, looking quite comfortable in his sweater despite what appeared to be a rather warm day. "Sure thing!" He accepted the frisbee from Dante and opened his eyes, flashing a twinkling red look to the Houndoom. "You ready for a good run, boy?"

Dante barked and did a quick circle in place before he crouched in a ready position, going completely still save for his wagging tail.

Tabitha considered the frisbee for a moment and the horizon before pulling it back. "Get ready... Go!"

The plastic disk hurtled through the air as barely more than a pink blur. Dante bolted after it in an instant and within seconds both shrunk to dots in the distance.

The camera zoomed in, attempting to follow the Pokémon and his toy, but eventually they were completely gone from view. The redhead paused before he turned the camera to Tabitha. "...Um."

Tabitha rubbed the back of his head, suddenly looking uncertain. "Maybe I threw it a little too hard."

Homura laughed, crossing his arms. "If we hear a news report about a Houndoom suddenly showing up in Unova to catch a frisbee, we'll know you threw it too hard."

Izumi let out a little 'squee' as she clasped her hands over her mouth, then squirmed in place. "Strong _and_ adorable~! I just want to hug him~!"

"Kagari, do you-?" Matsubusa began as the camera shifted over to Kagari and Courtney to get their input on the situation. The view suddenly stopped on Courtney. In front of her was a plate piled high with hotdogs, hamburgers, and steak in a mountain of meat – all of it topped off with bacon. "...What are you doing?"

Courtney regarded the camera and the precarious tower of grilled delights she held in her hands. "I haven't eaten all day. It's a meatastrophy."

Tabitha gave Courtney an odd look. "A meat... what?"

"A meatastrophy," Courtney said. "Worse than a meataster, but not as bad as a meatpocalypse."

Tabitha stared blankly at Courtney, unsure of how to respond.

"Smiley is weird even without her mask," Matt muttered.

Aogiri chuckled and felt disappointed when the video ended there. "They seem like a close bunch. Kinda like us. We should show Ushio all of this when we get to the next stop. He's missing out sitting way in the back with the rest of the crew."

"His own fault for being built like a bulldozer," Izumi said, with a sly smile. "He couldn't even fit through the door."

Shelly let out a thoughtful hum. "Yeah, they seem like a fun group. Hard to imagine that they kill people."

Aogiri's mouth curled like he tasted something sour. "Bad people, but yeah. That's something me and Masky are going to have to have a heart to heart on as soon as we snatch him up."

Izumi nodded before she paused, the laptop chiming. Her eyes darted over to the program she was running, a rather handy tool she designed that she used not only to get in to the laptop but to gain access to the rest of Matsubusa's information. "Speaking of which, guess who just bought a plane ticket at the Kanto National Airport."

Aogiri shook off the somber taint to the atmosphere and his eyes took on a predatory glint. "Well, well, looks like we've got a plane to catch."

* * *

The airport was fairly empty, with only a couple people sitting around as they waited for their planes. Quiet and still almost like a graveyard, most of the numerous seats were empty. For that reason, no one complained when Matsubusa took up several seats for himself, curling up on them as he rested against Dante, using the Houndoom like a pillow. The redhead's eyes were closed as he snuggled with his Pokémon, trying to rest as much as he could. He was fairly exhausted and the discomfort of the chairs prevented him from getting too comfortable. At the very least, Dante's body was soft and warm, allowing him some comfort.

Dante wasn't bothered by being Matsubusa's cushion as he lay curled up on one of the hard plastic chairs. He yawned, fatigue catching up to him now that they were in an area with enough people and security for him to deem it safe to relax his guard a bit.

As time went on, the quietness of the airport and Dante's fluffy fur managed to offer just enough comfort that Matsubusa's exhaustion began to overtake the discomfort and the redhead began to drift off. He wasn't asleep by any means, but his awareness had still dropped considerably as his surroundings disappeared in to soft fur and hard plastic.

It was hard to tell how long Matsubusa lay in that dreamy half-asleep haze before he was snapped back into awareness by the feeling of Dante going rigid beneath him. Matsubusa's eyes fluttered open as he lifted his head, grimacing as his neck protested the motion – as well as the position he had been sleeping in. The sound of a commotion filtered in through the haze, and the redhead glanced over the back of the plastic chairs to find the source.

Security staff were on the move towards one of the gates that before had been virtually empty but now was overflowing with people and Pokémon battling. To Matsubusa's horror, he recognized the men and women in predominantly blue outfits.

Matsubusa sat up with a jerk, grasping at the back of the chairs as his eyes widened. "Is that-!?"

With a roar, Leviathan burst in to the airport lobby, tossing aside two security guards with ease. She landed hard on her feet, the tiles cracking underneath, as she gave a mighty sway of her body that sent people scurrying in all directions. Behind her, Matsubusa could see Aogiri striding forward through the doorway, a large smirk on his face.

"Yo, Kazan!" Aogiri shouted as he scanned the area for a familiar mop of red hair. "You didn't think we were done playing yet, did you?"

Matsubusa yelped and ducked down beneath the back of his seat, sliding out of the plastic chair until he was crouched on the floor. "D-damn... how!?"

Dante moved to Matsubusa's side, keeping a low profile even as he peered cautiously between the seats at the invasion.

"Might as well come out now!" Aogiri bellowed. "We know you're here!"

Matsubusa grimaced but kept his head low, crawling along the floor towards the nearest exit – a fire exit. While he was thankful that Aogiri wasn't calling him 'Masky', he took it more as proof that his earlier thoughts were correct. So long as Matsubusa didn't involve anyone else, the pirate wouldn't out him. And the unspoken threat was, naturally, that the moment Matsubusa _did_ think of seeking outside help, the nickname would be shouted loud and clear for all to hear.

The redhead had no choice but to deal with it himself. And the first thing he needed to do was escape as quickly as possible.

Dante crawled low on his belly after Matsubusa. The redhead might have found it adorable in less precarious circumstances.

Slowly, Matsubusa made it to the fire exit and reached up to open the door. He moved slowly, using the chaos and fighting near the doorway to his own benefit. The sound drowned out the creak of the door as it opened and the redhead widened the exit just enough for him to slip through before holding it open for Dante. Once the Houndoom was through, he carefully closed it.

Now with a door as a barrier between him and Aogiri, Matsubusa got on his feet and broke out in to a run. They had to hurry, as he imagined he only had minutes before Aogiri figured out where he went and came after him.

Unfortunately for Matsubusa, it seemed that he underestimated how much Aogiri had planned the event. Just as the redhead rounded the corner, he slammed in to something hard and fell against the floor in a crumbled heap. Grimacing, the redhead reached up to verify his nose hadn't been broken before a rough laugh made Matsubusa jerk and stare up in alarm.

Crossing his muscular arms, Ushio grinned like a shark down at the redhead. "Oya, oya... where d'ya think _yer_ goin'?"

Matsubusa sucked in his breath through his teeth as he scrambled back, scooting his rump against the floor.

Ushio barked out a laugh before he flexed his arm, slapping the firm bicep with his other hand. "Ya picked the _wrong_ exit, asshole. You ain't goin' _nowhere_."

Dante charged before Ushio could grab Matsubusa, bowing his head so that he could use his horns like a battering ram aimed directly for the most vulnerable spot to make the mountain of a man fall.

Ushio could barely make a sound before all the air was forced out of his body, his eyes widening as his hands immediately went to cover his goods – though the damage had already been done. Stumbling forward, Ushio dropped to his knees before he hunched forward, coughing violently.

Matsubusa gaped at the fallen man for a moment, then snapped out of it when Dante barked at him. He swiftly scrambled to his feet and rushed past the fallen admin of Team Aqua, his Houndoom hot on his heels. "...Tell that stupid boss of yours that it'll be a cold day in _hell_ when I let you thugs get the upper hand on me!"

Ushio could only let out a croak before he pressed his forehead against the floor, a tremor running up his spine.

* * *

Team Aqua scoured the airport terminal for Matsubusa, but found no sign of him. Instead, Matt came across the fallen Ushio and called the attention of their leader and the other admins, who rushed to their fallen comrade's side.

Aogiri knelt down beside Ushio, assessing the damage. "Masky got the drop on ya, huh?"

"Right. In the. _Balls_." Ushio wheezed out, from his crumbled state on the floor.

Aogiri and Matt hissed, cringing in sympathy.

Shelly rubbed her temple as she looked Ushio over. "No offense, but I really hope you don't need me to look over _that_ particular injury for you."

"Looking over the security footage, and it's the Houndoom that did the actual deed," Izumi said, her voice coming in over their ear pieces as she worked at her computer back in their travel truck to track the redhead's movements. She could see him slinking away to the fire exit and slipping out before literally running in to Ushio, and the consequences of that meeting. "Not that it helps any."

Aogiri muttered a curse as he looked off in the direction Matsubusa must have fled before a wry chuckle escaped him in spite of himself. "Masky just keeps making this more and more interesting."

Izumi followed the redhead out of the building. She alternated between the various outside cameras to try and find the redhead, then stopped and stared at what she was seeing. Before her very eyes, she watched Matsubusa climb in to an unattended shuttle bus and, after several moments, it came to life and took off down the road. "...He _hotwired_ a _shuttle bus_."

Aogiri let out a bark of laughter. "Of course he did. Masky is just pulling Buneary after Buneary out of his ass!"

"I'm starting to see why he's the leader of Team Magma," Izumi said, with a shake of her head as she leaned back. "I thought he was just an idiot, but this goes well beyond luck."

"Masky's only an idiot whenever Aogiri's there to scramble his brain," Shelly said as she looked sideways at their leader. "The guy's got it _bad_."

Leviathan turned her head to Aogiri and rumbled her agreement, her brow wiggling.

Aogiri broke out into a broad grin. "Well then, that just means I need to handle Masky _personally_, doesn't it?"

* * *

It wasn't until he had put quite some distance between himself and the airport that Matsubusa finally felt safe enough to ditch the shuttle bus. It was slow and drew too much attention, but it at least served the purpose of allowing him to get away much faster than his legs could carry him. Once that was accomplished, he ditched the shuttle bus in a parking lot and took off on foot once more, disappearing behind the convenience stores and in to the heart of the city. He ran for several blocks, Dante obediently following him, before the redhead finally had no choice but to stop, nearly collapsing behind a Pokémart.

Stumbling on his feet and unable to resist the urge to lean back against the dirty wall of the building, the redhead trembled and clasped his hands over his chest. "Damn it... damn, damn, _damn_ it..."

Dante let out a sympathetic whine as he nuzzled his muzzle against Matsubusa's leg, ears drooping.

Matsubusa fumbled down to touch Dante's head, awkwardly ruffling his ear. "What do we do now...? Is there _another_ airport...?"

Dante had no answers to give Matsubusa, only silent support as he leaned against his trainer's hand.

Matsubusa opened up his Pokédex to check, and cursed. The only other airport was roughly twenty miles away, in the exact opposite direction of Hoenn. He wanted to get closer to Hoenn, not further away from it. "Damn it..."

The redhead tilted his head back as he closed his eyes. His only real options to get back to Hoenn were by airplane or boat. There weren't any roads to cross the ocean, nor were there any tracks for trains. Flight and ferry were the only way to travel to the island. "If Homura were here, I'd just take the helicopter back..."

Dante lifted his paw and placed it lightly on the hand Matsubusa used to hold the Pokédex as he met his trainer's eyes.

Matsubusa turned to his Houndoom and offered the Pokémon a weak smile. As he opened his mouth to say something, he was immediately interrupted by his Pokédex beginning to ring. The redhead let out a squeal as he jerked, fumbling with the Pokédex before he dropped it. Matsubusa watched as the Pokédex hit the ground as it continued to scream the musical ringtone to him – a rough techno beat that belonged to Homura.

Dante obligingly picked up the Pokédex with his mouth and held it out to his trainer.

Matsubusa looked at Dante, then at his Pokédex. Grimacing, he reached down to accept the device before answering the call. "H-hello?"

"You missed my call," Homura said, his tone accusing. "Three times."

Matsubusa blinked before he frowned. He hadn't heard the Pokédex ring at all, though it was possible he simply hadn't noticed as it was muffled in his pocket. "...Is... is that so."

"More than that," Homura continued, his irritation quite evident in his tone. "What the hell are you doing at a Pokémart at four am in the morning!? Especially one so far away from your hotel!?"

Matsubusa jerked, startled. He was about to demand how Homura knew when he stopped, then noticed the GPS tracking icon in the corner of his screen. He blinked, then rolled his eyes. He should've expected Homura to track him, especially after trying to call three times and getting no response. The first time, he'd assume Matsubusa was sulking. By the second or third time, however, the personal assistant would've been tracking him down without hesitation.

"Well?" Homura pressed, cutting in to Matsubusa's thoughts. "You should be in _bed_ right now, not prowling around a Pokémart! There's nothing there you should be eating, anyway!"

Dante made a show of rolling his eyes.

"...I'd _like_ to be in bed right now." Matsubusa grumbled, more to himself than Homura.

"Then why aren't you!?" Homura demanded. "What are you _thinking_? You're not a _child_ anymore, you can't just-"

Matsubusa tuned Homura out again as he chewed on his lower lip. He knew that logically, he should tell Homura what happened. Homura would be able to help him, _save_ him from the pirate. And yet as bad as Homura was scolding him now, it'd only get worse when he found out what was really happening. Matsubusa truly did feel like an errant child, helpless and yet afraid to get help. It wasn't a feeling he particularly liked.

Dante noticed the worry pass over his trainer's face and nuzzled his nose against Matsubusa's wrist as he let out a tiny, plaintive whine.

Matsubusa's hand trembled slightly before he reached to scratch Dante's chin, the redhead grinding his teeth as the negative feelings churned inside of him.

"...Matsubusa?"

The anger was gone from Homura's voice, which startled the redhead out of his thoughts. He lifted his head to stare at the phone, wondering if he had imagined it. "H-huh?"

"What's wrong?" Homura asked. His accusation had been replaced with barely restrained concern. "What's happening?"

Matsubusa felt taken aback, unprepared for such a direct question. "Uh, I... it's..."

"Are you hurt?" Homura asked, the concern increasing in volume. When the redhead didn't respond immediately, it spurred the personal assistant onward. "Matsubusa!"

Matsubusa shifted awkwardly, his hand moving to grasp at one of Dante's horns. It was more for support than for Dante, as he needed it at that moment. "I'm... something happened."

Dante pressed his side into Matsubusa's leg, not minding the hand on his horn in the slightest.

"What? What's happened!?" Homura demanded, standing up sharply so that he knocked over his chair. He glanced around sharply at his desk before frowning as his eyes fell on his landline phone. He wanted to call Tabitha immediately, but it was hard to talk on two phones at once and he didn't want to hang up on Matsubusa. "Are you safe?!"

"I was... chased out of my hotel," Matsubusa said, slowly. His grip tightened on the horn. "By Team Aqua."

Homura's eyes widened as his eyebrows shot straight up. After a moment of stunned silence, he grabbed the phone off his desk and quickly pressed the button with his left thumb, his other hand still holding his Pokédex. "I'm calling Tabitha. We're coming to get you."

"They... they chased me to the airport," Matsubusa said, his voice shaking. "I just escaped again. I... they have my luggage and... a-and the laptop."

"...I'll have Courtney remote deactivate the laptop, and revoke its access," Homura said, his voice forcibly even. He was thankful Matsubusa couldn't see his hand shaking as he gripped the other phone tightly, holding it to his ear as he waited for Tabitha to answer. Four am in the morning or not, he wasn't going to wait for anyone to wake up normally.

Matsubusa felt a wave of relief that Homura wasn't screaming at him after his admissions, though his body had begun to shake from the stress of the situation. "I-I can't go back to the hotel, and I can't go back to the airport... so what... what do I do?"

"There's a ferry, but that's obviously not happening," Homura said as he sat down at his desk again. When Tabitha didn't answer, he let out a sharp curse and hung up the phone before dialing the number once more. He set his Pokédex down on the table, switching to speaker phone so that he could type at his computer. "Answer the Arceus-damned phone, Tabitha!"

As if on cue, the phone connected with a click. "Homura, what is it?" Tabitha asked, his voice thick with sleep.

"Get the helicopter," Homura barked. "Team Aqua is after Matsubusa."

"Wait, _what?_!" Tabitha accidentally shouted into the phone, suddenly sounding wide awake. "Team Aqua?"

"They chased him out of his hotel, and attacked him at the airport," Homura said before he glanced over to the Pokédex. "Matsubusa, are you still there?"

"I... yes," Matsubusa said, with a slight nod of his head despite Homura not being able to see it. "I'm... just a little tired."

A variety of curses and the sound of fabric brushing against the speaker was all that came from Tabitha for several minutes.

"I'm booking you a different hotel room," Homura said. "I want you to wait there until we come and get you. It's in a heavily populated area, and there's a police station nearby. It should keep those idiots away long enough for us to come and get you."

Matsubusa had his doubts, but he didn't voice them. He was just too tired, mentally and physically, to argue at that point. He'd just have to put his faith in Homura. He had been right so far, so the redhead may as well see if the personal assistant was right again. If so, he'd get some rest and would be home free. If not, well, at least he wouldn't be the only person screwing things up that night – whatever consolation that would be.

Rather than trust the police, he'd have to put his faith in Homura and the hope that Aogiri had at least _some_ common sense somewhere in that addled brain of his, however faint that possibility might be.


	3. Chapter 3

Matsubusa didn't know if the weather had actually called for rain the whole time or if it was just Kanto's way of rubbing salt in his wounds, but the sky had gone quite sour by the time the taxi arrived at the hotel Homura had booked for him. The dark clouds rumbling overhead, obscured by the night sky, didn't even wait for the redhead to finish exiting the vehicle before they opened up and dumped their soggy load upon him. Rain powered downwards, coating both the sidewalk and the redhead as he dashed across the pavement towards the doorway, the occasional rumble of thunder punctuating the dreary atmosphere.

Soaked and trembling, Matsubusa practically limped in to the building, his body heavy and motivated onward only by thoughts of a hot shower and warm bed.

Dante whined quietly as a quick shake did nothing to completely dry him. He kept pausing periodically as he followed Matsubusa, shaking one hind leg at a time in a futile attempt to be rid of the abhorrent water that clung to his skin and made his fur limp.

Matsubusa practically slumped against the reception desk, placing his hands against it to steady himself. "...Reservation for Kazan."

The receptionist almost seemed to be extra energetic to spite Matsubusa, flashing a bright white smile at him. "One minute please, Mr. Kazan~!" The brunette sauntered over to the back counter, humming an off-key tune that grated on Matsubusa's last nerve as she sashayed her hips. Just as he felt tempted to snap, she suddenly popped up in front of him again with his keycard. "It's on the top floor. Elevator's down the hall to the right. We hope you have a nice stay~!"

Matsubusa accepted the key wordlessly, turning on his wet heels and dragging himself towards the elevator. As he pressed the button, he thankfully didn't have to wait long as the elevator arrived quickly, opening its doors welcomingly to the redhead. Matsubusa limped inside and turned about, waiting for Dante to flop down beside him, before he jabbed the button harshly. The elevator promptly closed, with a snap of the doors.

The receptionist waited until the elevator's floor number changed before dropping the fake smile. Careful not to disturb her dark wig, Shelly activated the communicator hidden in her ear. "He's here. I'm going in."

The distance between Matsubusa's room and the elevator seemed insurmountable. And yet, his tired body mustered enough strength to make the journey. He roughly pushed the door open and practically pulled himself inside, using the door and the sides of the wall to get his body going even as it was on the verge of giving up. He was even contemplating forgoing the shower and just dropping right in to bed. His clothes would dry eventually.

Dante moved more easily than Matsubusa, but he too couldn't hide his fatigue completely as he yawned and stretched once the door was securely locked behind them.

Matsubusa sighed as he reached up and began unbuttoning his changshan. He'd hang it over a chair, and hopefully it'd dry enough by the time Homura came to pick him up. With the police station so close, surely Aogiri would keep his distance. He imagined the pirate would try to attack after he left the place, but by then he would have Homura and Tabitha to help him. "A few... a few hours of sleep... that's all..."

The ringing of the Pokédex drew a groan from Matsubusa. He recognized the electro swing music as the tune he picked for Tabitha and glared darkly until he saw his admin's face appear on the screen, the dark haired man's eyes open unusually wide and filled with panic.

"They sabotaged the helicopter!" Tabitha blurted out. "I can't get it working!"

Matsubusa stopped as he stared at Tabitha. "...What?"

"Team Aqua sabotaged the helicopter!" Tabitha repeated quickly. "It gets worse! Courtney found out they're using your Pokédex's GPS to track you down! Get out of the hotel right n-"

The flickering of the room's lights immediately seized Matsubusa's attention and Tabitha's voice turned into little more than a frantic drone as he watched in horror as the room went black.

Matsubusa stood in the darkness, his heart thundering in his chest. Fear flooded through his body, bringing with it new vitality – no matter how temporarily. He turned his Pokédex over quickly and ripped the battery out, then hurried to the door. He threw the door open and fumbled his way down the hallway to the stairwell, with Dante's eyes providing the only light. He didn't even glance back as he rushed in to the stairwell, his body moving on pure adrenaline.

The power flickered back on only a mere five minutes after Matsubusa and Dante fled the hotel. Shelly grumbled quietly as she waited for the elevator to finish ascending. It didn't surprise her that by the time she reached the hotel room where Matsubusa was supposed to be staying, she found no one inside. She checked her communication earpiece to see if it would work now that she was no longer trapped within the confining space of the elevator. "Bad news," she muttered. "The storm knocked out the power so Masky flew the coop before I could catch him."

"I guess he's gotten skittish," Izumi said as she typed at her computer. "I can't track him anymore, either. His Pokédex is either turned off or had the battery taken out."

"Probably the latter," Shelly grumbled.

Aogiri leaned forward in his seat in the truck behind Izumi, peering at the computer screen. The excitement dancing in his eyes had only grown stronger with each failed attempt to nab Matsubusa, making him all the more determined. "Well then, it looks like we're going to need to cast a wider net to snag a catch this elusive."

* * *

Matsubusa hurried his way through the city, darting behind buildings and ducking behind cars as he made his way to safety – as safe as he could be, at any rate, when he was being hunted. Even though he had put considerable distance between himself and the ATM, it still wasn't enough. Somehow, something mundane had become terrifying when the mere act of putting his battery back in his Pokédex had become dangerous. And yet, he needed the money – all venues of escape required money. Not only that, he hadn't eaten since the morning before, and his body was quite unhappy about it. He had risked activating his Pokédex just long enough to withdraw the cash he needed, then promptly deactivated it and fled in to the night.

Even stopping at the convenience store to pick up food had been nerve-wrecking, and he wasn't about to rest until he was even further away lest somehow _that_ could be tracked as well.

It wasn't until his legs simply couldn't carry him anymore that the redhead finally ducked in to a dark, empty building and collapsed against the floor. He trembled for a moment before he set the plastic bag on the floor, opening it. Inside, there was a pack of jerky for Dante and a sandwich for himself, as well as still-hot coffee in a styrofoam cup. He opened the bag of jerky and set the meaty treats down for Dante while he gulped down the coffee, desiring the heat more than the beverage itself. It was hardly something he'd consider food, but it was better than nothing.

Dante flopped down beside his trainer, still rather miserable after all their running through the storm, and eagerly gulped down the jerky.

Matsubusa sighed before he leaned back against the wall, propping his head back. "...I don't know if I can keep doing this, Dante."

Dante whined softly and nuzzled his nose against Matsubusa's arm before resting his weary head on his trainer's leg.

Matsubusa reached up to gently pet his Houndoom as he closed his eyes. "...I should have... listened to Homura. I... shouldn't have opened my damn mouth..."

Dante let out another soft sound as he cuddled closer to Matsubusa, halfway curling around his trainer's body.

Matsubusa shivered, his wet clothes clinging uncomfortably to his body. Still, he could feel Dante's body heat through the wet fur, and he was thankful for it. "Do we try the airport again...? If Homura can't get the helicopter working, I..." He trailed off, then shook his head. "I can't _wait_. Every second, they're getting closer..."

Dante had no advice to give, not that he could voice his thoughts in words even if he did. All he could do was lay his head down on Matsubusa's leg and increase his core body temperature in spite of the nasty rain soaking him to keep his trainer from catching hypothermia.

"What else is there?" Matsubusa asked, desperately. "If I can't go to the airport, I can't get to my helicopter, I can't take a taxi, I can't walk, and I can't take a train... then what else is there!?"

There were no answers, not that Matsubusa expected any. He glared outside at the rain as it came down, cursing it for making his situation all the more miserable and because it was the favorite element of the people who were hunting him down at this very moment. As he watched the drops shift direction due to the wind, he caught a glimpse of movement that made his heart lurch with the sudden terrible fear that Team Aqua had found him again, only to see that it was just the flapping corner of a soggy poster hanging on the wall that was threatening to fall off.

The redhead redirected his angry eyes to the printed photos of smiling Pokémon and people as they stood on the deck of a ferry boat and the blithely cheerful catch phrases meant to get stuck in peoples' heads so they would think of that particular company. It seemed water had no end to its ways of mocking him.

As Matsubusa glared at the picture of the ferry, a thought began to surface in his head. His brow creased as he looked at the picture of the boat, drifting away on the water as it sailed towards Hoenn – a couple hours ride, it boasted. "...No, absolutely not."

Dante looked up at Matsubusa, his eyes wide and inquisitive.

Matsubusa didn't look at Dante, still staring at the poster. Even though he had outright denied it as a possibility, he couldn't look away from it. "There's no way... I'd ever get on a ferry. Never again. Even if it _is_ the only option left... the only option they _wouldn't_ expect. I'd sooner... I'd sooner be _caught_ than...!" He trailed off, as visions of his captivity at the hands of Aogiri played through his mind. He wasn't sure what the pirate meant to do, but he knew it couldn't be good. It'd no doubt involve humiliation, public at that, and a sea of laughing faces mocking him. Aogiri had long since made it clear how much he enjoyed degrading the redhead. "I... e-even if he..."

Though Matsubusa tried to avoid thinking of worst case scenarios, his fatigued mind couldn't help but drift to unpleasant images. Aogiri playing with his body in front of a camera, doing unspeakable things before using it to humiliate him all over again, not just in front of Team Magma, but possibly the entire world. It was so easy to upload video to the internet, and even the threat alone would be enough to force the redhead to do whatever his captors wanted.

Matsubusa couldn't help but think back to his school days, of the hateful classmates who targeted him for being smaller and scrawnier than them, for being an orphan, and for even existing at all. They had laughed at and humiliated him until a Houndour puppy he befriended came around to burn their underwear to a crisp while they were still wearing them.

Matsubusa swallowed hard, his hands gripping the Houndoom tightly as he faltered. "Even if... it's still better than..."

Even as he spoke, more images came to mind. He could see himself being forcibly held down somehow, bent over harshly so that Aogiri to pull his pants down and strike at him to his heart's content – all the while, his crew laughing and cheering at Matsubusa's humiliation. Worst of all, he could see the horrible hooligans recording it, not only as something to remember it by but also to show the world what happened to those that questioned them.

Matsubusa's breathing hitched as he pulled Dante close, trembling. "...But a _ferry_? I... it's a _ferry_, for Arceus' sake!"

Dante let out a worried whine as he cuddled his trainer.

What was worst, in Matsubusa's opinion, was that traitorous part of him that wanted to give in. Whenever Aogiri touched him, pressed their bodies close together, or stripped in front of him while saying such suggestive things...

"What... what's the worst that could happen...?" Matsubusa asked, his voice weak.

As if to answer the redhead, his own mind helpfully brought forth yet another vision. In it, Aogiri and his crew loomed around him with varying degrees of sinister, lewd grins. As the various members of Team Aqua began to strip down, exposing both themselves and their horrid intentions, Matsubusa trembled, staring in terror with tear-filled eyes. Aogiri loomed over him with the grin of a shark.

"You better not be _too_ tired from all that running, 'cuz you're about to be _very_ busy." Aogiri growled.

"W-what do you-?" Matsubusa began before he yelped as Aogiri planted his foot against the redhead's chest and shoved him back down against the floor.

"It's about time someone taught you a _lesson_," Aogiri continued, his expression unfriendly. "You're gonna be _personally apologizing_ to each and _every_ member of my crew, and there's only _one_ form of payment we're gonna accept."

As if on cue, Ushio and Matt grabbed at his changshan, ripping the fabric violently as the redhead shrieked and brought up his arms to protect himself. Matsubusa trembled as he shielded himself with his arms, gaping up at the captain of Team Aqua.

"And we ain't taking 'no' for an answer." Aogiri smirked.

Matsubusa jerked to his feet, knocking Dante off of him as he sent both his coffee and his sandwich tumbling to the floor. Matsubusa crossed his arms to hug himself as he paced the floor, his breathing rough. After several teeth-chattering moments, the redhead whirled to Dante. The wild look in the redhead's eyes did little to soothe the Houndoom's concerns. "F-f-ferry! We're... we're taking the _ferry_!"

Dante's head shot up as he outright gawked at Matsubusa, his mouth hanging open.

* * *

Team Aqua had commandeered an empty truck stop after stopping to refuel. With no new leads on Matsubusa's whereabouts, they were left with little to do except lay low and get some rest after being awake all night and on the prowl. Outside, other members of the team were rejuvenating in the sunshine. Ushio was boldly stretched out on top of one of the tables, leaving some grunts to eat their meals around him, occasionally being forced to move a drink before it got spilled when he sleepily scratched his face or side. Izumi took up another table, but there was no one eating there, just helping her look over her array of computers for any sign of Matsubusa. Shelly slept peacefully curled up in the driver's seat in such a contorted manner that it would make a pretzel wince. Aogiri knew he should be sleeping as well, but he let Matt take up the bed in the back of the truck cab and took the passenger seat, legs propped up on the dashboard, with Matsubusa's laptop resting on his thighs.

"Haaaappy birth-day to yooou~!" the chorus of voices sang, the sound being directed in to Aogiri's ears by his headphones. On the computer screen, a video was playing of Tabitha and the rest of the admins gathered around a table, singing. Homura's own voice joined them even though he couldn't be seen, which identified him as the camera holder. "Haaaaappy biiirth-day to yoooou~!"

On the table itself was a large birthday cake, red with black frosting and covered in a plethora of candles – obviously meant to be a joke. Even the Pokémon were chiming in, with Dante front and center, throwing his head back as he howled along with the others.

Matsubusa sat at the front of the table, quivering with his face bright red. His glistening eyes told Aogiri that the redhead was fighting back tears, completely beside himself as the camera focused on him.

"Haaaappy birth-day, dear Ma-tsu-bu-saaaaaa!" The admins continued, with Dante placing his paws on the table and letting out a piercing howl of his own to punctuate the name.

At that point, Matsubusa finally couldn't hold the tears any longer, liquid streaming down his cheeks as he squirmed and tried to cover his face with his hands.

"Haaaappy birth-day tooooo... yooooouuu!"

Aogiri felt his chest constrict at the sight of Matsubusa in tears. He just wanted to hold the other man close and never let go.

"I-insubordination!" Matsubusa choked out between his sobs. "This is _insubordination_!"

Tabitha laughed. "What? A surprise party is against the rules now?"

"Making Matsubusa cry is against the rules," Courtney said dryly before blowing on a party favor. Despite her dull expression, she was decked out in a crown made of pointy party hats and wore a googly pair of colorful glasses.

"There, there," Kagari crooned as she hugged her leader from behind, petting his hair soothingly. "Do you need a tissue?"

"I-I'm not crying!" Matsubusa protested, as he sniffled. "I have allergies!"

"An allergy to cake or bad singing?" Tabitha teased.

Courtney punched Tabitha in the arm without looking at him.

Matsubusa wiped furiously at his eyes with his sleeves, his face flushed. "H-hic..."

Aogiri's fingertips brushed against the laptop screen before he realized that he was reaching out to Matsubusa. He ached to have been at that party, to wipe away those tears and kiss the leader of Team Magma's brow until Matsubusa could smile.

Kagari sighed as she gave the camera, and thus Homura, a wistful smile before she reached over to grab some tissues out of a box and helped clean up Matsubusa's face. "Yes, yes. Here you go, sweetheart. Now why don't you try and blow out your candles, hm?"

"And make a wish," Homura said, his voice amused. "Do you know what you want?"

Matsubusa sniffled as he paused and looked at the cake, then at Homura. After a moment, his face twisted up again. "I-I already... g-got...!" He couldn't even finish the words, as he proceeded bawling once more.

"Oh, _honey_," Kagari crooned as she moved to wrap her arms around Matsubusa's neck, then looked up to Homura. "Homura, you're totally killing him right now. You awful thing."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Homura said with a small laugh. "Just don't cry on your cake. I spent several hours making it, just for you."

Tabitha lunged to join the hug, throwing a lot of energy and a big smile into it. "We love you, Matsubusa! Don't you forget it!"

Courtney pulled the string on a party popper, sending confetti flying with a crackle so that it sprinkled lightly onto Matsubusa's head. "This is going to happen every year, you know."

Matsubusa could only reply with a thin whine of jumbled words, the redhead trying desperately to control his tears and communicate to no success. He covered his face with his hands, sobbing all over again. Dante hopped up to place his paws on Matsubusa's lap, pressing his nose against his trainer's cheek as his tail wagged.

"Okay, okay," Homura said, sounding exasperated. However, there was good-natured humor in it, as he clearly wasn't upset. "Let's get you cleaned up, and then start again-"

And at that moment, Homura turned off the camera, ending the video.

Aogiri held his chest where an exquisite pain squeezed his heart. He _ached_ to touch Matsubusa more than ever, to create such beautiful tears so that he could kiss them away. He wanted to be someone who could be so important to the leader of Team Magma, to share in such obvious love the other group shared for one another.

To be loved.

"Matsubusa...," Aogiri whispered, rolling the redhead's real name on his tongue. He _needed_ to succeed in this mission now because he was absolutely certain that this was the only way he was ever going to have a chance to be with Matsubusa. Years of flirting and getting no closer had proved it. All he accomplished was falling more and more for the masked leader of Team Magma who never seemed to hold more than a few sparks of interest.

That was all Aogiri had, but it wasn't enough. If they could actually spend time together like a normal pair of people, then he could turn those tiny embers into a roaring flame.

It was all Aogiri could hope for at this point.

* * *

The receptionist hummed as she slipped through the open metal gate, heading in to the covered dock area that worked as the ticket booth and lobby for the ferry. The computers and cash registers themselves were behind a fully enclosed, steel and reinforced glass booth, to which she held the key in her hand. She moved quickly as she only had a few minutes to get ready before the customers began arriving, ready to purchase passage to Hoenn and areas beyond. As she ventured in to the area towards her destination, she gave a quick glance around at the wooden benches that filled the lobby.

It was then that she saw a man curled up on one of the benches, cuddling against a Houndoom. The redheaded man was oblivious to her presence, though the Pokémon was staring right at her as he guarded his trainer. Still, the sight alone was enough to make the woman yelp in alarm and drop her keys on the floor, causing them to rattle noisily.

Matsubusa jerked awake with a gasp, snapping out of his uncomfortable doze to fall out of the wooden bench on to the floor. He yelped, then grimaced as his back protested both the fall and the hardness of the wood beneath him. Slowly, Matsubusa sat up and turned a groggy gaze to the receptionist as she stared at him with wide eyes.

"What... what time is it?" he asked, his voice shaking.

"I-it's... seven am, sir," the reception said, hesitantly.

"O-oh. Oh," Matsubusa murmured. "So you're... you're finally open, then?"

"Um, almost, sir," the receptionist said, then frowned. "Have you... been here long?"

"...A couple hours, I think," Matsubusa replied as he stood up and stretched, flinching as the action irritated his sore muscles. "Maybe? I don't know. Long enough."

"...May I ask why?" the receptionist asked.

Matsubusa hesitated, then looked towards the reception booth. "I... want to buy a ticket. For two."

The receptionist frowned. She clearly wasn't certain what to make of the answer, mulling over whether or not she wanted to press further. In the end, she decided it wasn't worth it. She moved to pick up the keys, then unlocked the booth and stepped inside. "Right this way, sir. One adult and one Pokémon?"

"...Yes, please," Matsubusa said as he gingerly crossed the lobby to the reception area. He tried to ignore how the wood creaked beneath him, reminding him that he was on a dock. "A room, if you have any."

The receptionist locked the booth behind her before she turned on the computers, waiting for them to boot up. As she continued setting up for the morning, the woman kept glancing at the exhausted-looking man as he waited at the window. When the systems were finally up and running, she set about checking the reservations for the morning. As she worked, other potential customers began filing in to the area.

Matsubusa paid no attention to the other people, even as many stopped to turn and stare at him. He knew he must've looked terrible, his clothes wrinkly and still damp while his hair was ruffled and unkempt. He was too tired to care at that point, he had other things to focus his attention on – like the fact that he was about to board a floating death trap.

"Yes, sir, we do have a room available," the receptionist said. "That will be-"

Matsubusa wordlessly dumped a wad of money in to the little slot through the window. The receptionist paused and looked down at the pile, then looked up to Matsubusa's tired face. She stared for a moment before she counted out what she needed, then handed back the rest. Matsubusa accepted the change and shoved it in his pocket, his movements dull and sluggish.

The receptionist processed the payment before the computer spat out the tickets, two slips of paper. She pulled the tickets from the machine and handed them to Matsubusa through the window. "Thank you for your patronage, and have a lovely trip. We'll be leaving port at nine o'clock exactly."

Matsubusa nodded slowly, accepting the tickets before he turned and limped away from the receptionist's desk. As he moved, he could hear low murmurs as people watched him, but he didn't acknowledge them. He focused his eyes on the dock itself, where the ferry was docked. He stood stiffly to the side and watched as sailors prepared the vessel for its morning voyage, stocking it with supplies while finishing their morning safety checks.

No amount of safety checks would ever make Matsubusa feel safe on the ferry, or any boat. Each time the ferry rocked due to the waves, he felt his stomach lurch. Even as he stood on the dock, his senses screamed at him that he was making a mistake – that he was better off waiting for Homura or _being captured_ than boarding such an accursed boat.

But the redhead knew that wasn't the case, that he couldn't afford to be captured. He told himself over and over, like a mantra, that times had changed, that boats were safer now than they had ever been. What had happened before could never happen again, and he could even see the solar-powered anti-Pokémon device that was attached to the buoys at the far side of the harbor. These same buoys were scattered about the ocean, in areas where human traffic was common. They were required by law and maintained by the Pokémon Rangers, so he could trust that the journey would be perfectly safe – people had learned. There would never be another disaster, there would never be another situation like the one he had lived through.

Yet no matter how he repeated it, he couldn't help but feel like he was looking at a guillotine that was ready to come down on his neck. It was only Dante's constant presence, pressed up against his body, that he felt any strength at all to face the ordeal he was about to endure – about to overcome.

"The room better have alcohol in it," Matsubusa grumbled as he gripped Dante's horn, his fingers curling around it. "There's no way in _hell_ I'm doing this trip sober."

* * *

"_What do you mean_ all the flights to Kanto have been canceled!?" Homura shrieked in to his Pokédex as he paced the room, like a lion trapped in a cage at the zoo. "I have been _trying_ to get a flight to Kanto for _hours_ and now you're telling me that every single one has been canceled?!"

Kagari wearily watched Homura as he continued to scream and argue with the unfortunate airline employee on the other end, then turned to Courtney as their tech master worked away at her computer. The three of them were in the meeting room, with Courtney's laptop hooked up to the large monitor as she worked. Homura, Tabitha, and Kagari had gotten dressed before heading over after the panicked calls, but Courtney was still wearing her pajamas - black Charizard pajamas, to be precise. "...Tabitha still hasn't gotten the helicopter working. Team Aqua really did a number on it."

The sudden clatter of Courtney slamming her hands down onto the table made Kagari start, and even Homura jerked from his phone call to turn towards the dour girl staring at her computer screen. Courtney's mouth was drawn as taut muscles in her face turned her normally dead expression into something unnerving. "Matsubusa is trending on Pokébook."

Homura stopped at that and whirled to stare at Courtney. He then swiftly reached down to grab the controller to the overhead monitor, clicking it on so that it could display whatever was on Courtney's screen.

The webpage loaded was a popular celebrity tabloid site, specifically to an article about Matsubusa. Photographs, obviously taken by a phone or Pokédex, showed Matsubusa tiredly purchasing tickets then shakily clutching the rails as he climbed the gangplank with obvious fear. The article informed the world that a traveling trainer had recognized the CEO of Kazan Industries and snapped a photo of him without him realizing it. They then posted it to their Pokébook page and created a brand new hashtag for it that immediately went viral on the internet.

The picture gained immediate attention, with other travelers sneaking pictures of their own to verify that the original image wasn't a fake. According to the site, over one million people had seen the original post so far and the number was steadily climbing.

_ceo of kazen talks smack about pirates. gets on boat #genius #piratebait_

_OMG! ITS REAL U GUYZ! :O #PIRATEBAIT_

_Stay off the 9am ferry today. #PirateBait #TeamAqua #KazanInc _

Homura swiftly hit mute on his Pokédex, silencing the employee on the other line as he continued to apologize. "Take that garbage down! _Now_!"

Kagari glared up at the screen, her face twisted with disapproval. "Don't they know they could get him killed!? This isn't a game!"

"Nuke the whole website if you have to!" Homura barked. "Get it down as quickly as you can!"

Courtney's fingers stabbed at her keyboard, a terrible light appearing in her eyes as she attacked everything even remotely associated with the #piratebait hashtag.

* * *

As consciousness slowly returned to Matsubusa, he became aware of various sounds outside his room. They were dull at first, obstructed by the alcoholic fog that took over his brain, but slowly they came in to focus. It sounded like yelling and quick footsteps, as if people were running through the halls. A vague thought drifted through his mind, of him scolding the people for making such noise when others were quietly enjoying their drunken stupors.

Just as he began to drift back to sleep, the whole boat gave a mighty rattle. A deep-seated creak moaned through the whole boat as it rocked ever so slightly, though it was still enough to jerk Matsubusa awake.

The redhead sat up with a yelp, his eyes snapping open. He looked about wildly as his eyes scoured for the source of the motion, as if it could be found among the discarded bottles of alcohol on the floor. Behind him, Dante spooned his trainer with one paw draped across Matsubusa's waist as his tongue dangled out of his mouth. Just like Matsubusa, he had ingested his own share of the alcohol in order to make the trip more enjoyable. Unlike Matsubusa, he was still deeply asleep as neither sound nor motion broke through.

Matsubusa made a soft grunt in the back of his throat before he lifted Dante's paw off of him, groggily shifting his feet off the bed and on to the floor. He had drunk every bottle of alcohol in the mini-fridge, from cheep beer to expensive liquor, and had even called on room service more than once to replenish it. He was creating a sizable tab for Homura to pay when he arrived, but it was worth it for his own sanity.

Bottles rattled as the redhead waded past them, stopping at the door to the room. Tentatively, he opened the door, peering out in to the hallways. He saw people scampering away in all directions, apparently aware of something that he was not. He noted one particular crewmember scampering past him, causing him to raise his voice. "…The hell's going on?"

The crewmember stopped momentarily, startled by the question and Matsubusa's lack of awareness. He stared at the passenger before he recovered himself. "T-T-Team Aqua! It's Team Aqua! They actually... they actually _came_!We... we have to evacuate!"

"Team... Aqua?" Matsubusa repeated slowly, staring at the crewmember as he fled without giving the red-haired man a chance to respond. The words meant something, but his brain wasn't quite able to process it just yet. After another moment of mulling, the words managed to pierce the fog in his head. Matsubusa's eyebrows shot straight up, disorientation turning to shock and then vivid anger. "_What_!?"

Matsubusa should've been horrified, terrified even, that Team Aqua had discovered him on the ferry. All of his efforts had been for nothing, as the pirate had still managed to find him and pursued him to the Arceus-forsaken deathtrap.

Instead, Matsubusa was flooded with _anger_. The redhead whirled as he slammed his fist against the wall, glaring in both directions as he looked for the target of his ire. How dare Aogiri show himself, after everything he put Matsubusa through. From the hotel to the airport, then another hotel, and finally to the ferry itself, Aogiri had chased him every step of the way. He was tired, hungry, sore, and _completely_ drunk. He had forced himself to board a _ferry_ to try and escape the man, and Aogiri _still_ insisted on chasing after him. It wasn't enough that he had to suffer through the cold, damp clothes, hunger pains, and _water_, the pirate wasn't going to _leave him alone_.

Matsubusa was done, enough was enough. He was going to give the pirate a piece of his mind, what wasn't currently completely soaked in alcohol, and make sure Team Aqua knew what he thought of them and their sexy stupid leader.

With a growl, Matsubusa stormed out of his room. His feet wobbled but he managed to maintain his balance, using the walls for support as he stalked down the hallway in the direction most likely to be the correct one – where the commotion was loudest. As people fled past him in a panic, he alone charged forward to the approaching menace. Other passengers and crew gave him confused looks as they fled, but he paid them absolutely no mind. He had a goal, he was focused, and Aogiri was in for _hell_.

As Matsubusa boldly strode his way out on to the deck, he was promptly greeted by a sea of people in white, black, and blue – Team Aqua grunts. He stood defiantly in the doorway and pointed dynamically towards the person of his ire just as the pirate boarded the boat from where a collection of hook wires seemed to be attached to the deck, his admins around him. "_You bastard_!"

To say that Aogiri was surprised was putting it mildly. He expected Matsubusa to barricade in some cabin or prepare a trap once word broke out that they had snagged the ferry. He was unprepared for the redhead to storm towards him, only a slight stagger to each step, as a wobbly finger tried to remain directed at his nose. The whiff of alcohol he noted floating on the air only confirmed his suspicions. "Are you _drunk_?"

"_No_, I am _angry_!" Matsubusa snapped as he pointed at Aogiri, scowling. He then paused. "And drunk. I am _angry_ and drunk. _Angry_ but also _drunk_. _Angry_ drunk."

Aogiri looked sideways at his admins. "Finish securing things. I can handle this myself."

"Right, boss," Ushio said as he scratched the back of his head, then turns to the grunts. "Oya, don't let those gawkers just stand around! Get 'em movin'!"

"_Don't ignore me_!" Matsubusa snarled as he clenched his fists, shaking them at Aogiri. "I am _talking_ to you!"

Aogiri placed his hands on his hips and returned his attention to their target. "Okay, Mas... Matsubusa. I'm all yours."

"Good! You need to pay attention when I'm yelling at you!" Matsubusa said, glaring at the pirate. He paused as it registered that the pirate had said his name, and his face promptly turned a dark shade of red. "C-c-cheeky bastard! Who said you could use my first name!?"

"I did," Aogiri said as he slowly approached Matsubusa, his voice lowering to a sultry whisper once he was close enough that the redhead could hear. "You see, I figured since we'll be getting to know each other a little better, we might want to start by calling each other by our first names. It's more friendly like that, don't you think?"

Matsubusa felt his blush deepen as Aogiri spoke, but he refused to release his anger just yet. "_No_! It's not fair! You know my name but I don't know yours! You're not allowed to call me by my name if I can't call you by yours!"

Aogiri's smile widened before he leaned in close enough Matsubusa could feel his breath tickle a few stray red hairs. "Aogiri."

"Eh?" Matsubusa blinked slowly as he stared up at Aogiri. He hesitated before he fidgeted with the front of his changshan, tugging on it. "A... Ao... giri...?"

Aogiri lightly ran a finger along Matsubusa's chin as he gazed deeply into the other man's stunning red eyes. "That's my name. Please do use it as often as you like." He dropped his voice another octave. "Especially when you're moaning in pleasure."

Matsubusa felt a shiver at the touch, his temperature skyrocketing as the finger left a blazing trail along his cold flesh. His heart fluttered in his chest as the pirate's words drifted through him like its own caress, stirring things inside of him. He struggled to respond, words failing him as his breathing hitched, before something in the back of his mind brought him crashing back to reality. The redhead jerked as he reached up to push against the pirate's chest, the gesture rather weak and shaky despite the effort. "_No_! Don't try to change the subject! I – am – _angry_ at you!"

"Oh yeah?" Aogiri asked, cocking an eyebrow. "What for?"

"_Everything_!" Matsubusa snapped, furiously. "I'm _cold_, and _wet_, and _hungry_, and _tired_, and _drunk_, and _on a damn boat_, and it's _all your fault_!"

"Hey, we're both to blame for the plan going south," Aogiri said with a shrug. "Me for not expecting you to throw a dozen wrenches into the works." His expression turned devious, intense. "The original plan was to have you chilling on our island by now, preferably lounging in my bed while my magic fingers make you feel so good you don't _ever_ want to leave."

"No, your plan was to spank my butt again and take pictures!" Matsubusa retorted, hotly. "It's all you ever want to do!"

Aogiri straightened up a bit as he considered the accusation. "Okay, I'll admit in the beginning my plans all involved ticking you off, but that changed a long time ago. Now all I want to do is make you _ache_ for my touch." He emphasized his point by lightly brushing the back of his fingers across Matsubusa's cheek.

"Smacking my butt makes it _ache_!" Matsubusa huffed indignantly, even as the touch sent chills through his body, mingling with the ones he already felt. "I-I bet right now, you're just thinking about how you want to have your way with me! I am _not_ a party favor that you can pass around to your crew, I don't care how mad you are!"

Aogiri blinked once, twice, then a third time for good measure. "I... wait, what?"

Ushio came back from helping the grunts round up the rest of the crew and other passengers when he stopped and turned to stare at Matsubusa. "...The hell's going through _his_ head!?"

Matsubusa looked triumphant, as if he had caught Aogiri in a lie, as he pointed directly at the pirate's face. "I don't care how sexy you are, you can't just do whatever you are to me! You need to stop bothering me, and that includes coming after me in my dreams! I keep having to throw away all my underwear and it's your fault!"

Aogiri's eyebrows shot up and he found himself unable to respond. It was all he could do not to burst out laughing at the drunken accusations.

Matt skidded to a halt as he came back just in time to hear Matsubusa's personal outburst. "I... didn't just hear that, did I?"

Ushio stared at Aogiri and Matsubusa by the doorway and turned to Matt. "...Can we just say we didn't an' leave it at that?"

Matt spun around on his heel and raised his voice as he marched away quickly. "Heard what? We didn't hear anything! We were never even here! We're too busy securing the ship!"

"You think you can do whatever you want because you're sexy and handsome and built like a bronze idol, but you're _wrong_!" Matsubusa declared as he jabbed his finger at Aogiri's chest. "I only _kind of_ want to have sex with you! And don't you forget that!"

Aogiri finally lost it. There was nothing he could do but laugh.

Matsubusa stared as Aogiri laughed right at him. As it slowly registered that the pirate found him _amusing_, anger and frustration bubbled up inside of him. The redhead grit his teeth as he clenched his hands, shaking them at Aogiri again. "You! Why are you laughing?!"

"Sorry, sorry," Aogiri managed between chuckles. "It's just that I was expecting to have a hard time turning you on, and here you are imagining some pretty kinky stuff involving not just me but my crew as well!"

Matsubusa's face turned dark red as he quivered, outrage flooding his face. "_I am not_-! You... _you're_ the one who... _I am not a pervert_!"

Aogiri reached out to feel the heat in Matsubusa's red cheeks. "Never said you were, just there's one little thing I'd change about those fantasies of yours." He dropped his voice into a rich growl, his expression turning predatory. "The only one laying their hands on you is _me_. I'm not about to share you with _anyone_, not even my crew."

Matsubusa gaped at Aogiri, his eyes widening as his blush spread to his ears and down his neck. He trembled a moment before he let out a strangled squeak as a response with his words coming out all at once in a jumbled mess. He struck out at Aogiri's chest as the words continued to flow from him in a high-pitched whine before he whirled on his heels and stumbled back towards his room as fast as his drunken feet could carry him.

Aogiri chuckled as he watched his rival blindly flee and made to follow. There was no rush, not when on his turf. After all, there wasn't many places for Matsubusa to go, and he had a hunch where the redhead was headed.

The smell of alcohol was strong in the room, lingering on the countless tiny bottles scattered about haphazardly. Aogiri found himself surprised by the sheer amount that Matsubusa must have drunk in a short period of time. It was little wonder to him why he heard the sound of retching from the bathroom and found his brilliant rival purging the excess alcohol in the toilet.

Aogiri felt a pang of guilt. The chase must have stressed Matsubusa out more than he ever expected. He knelt down behind the other man and held the damp red hair back so that none of it would fall into the toilet.

Aogiri took note how Matsubusa trembled, how pale the leader of Team Magma's skin was. He had noticed it had been somewhat cool in places and warm in others, but a light touch revealed Matsubusa's hands to be cold and clammy while the other man's forehead was suspiciously warm. He wallowed in guilt as he waited for Matsubusa to stop heaving and moved away briefly only to get the other man a glass of water and a paper towel. "Here."

Matsubusa trembled, on his knees in front of the toilet as he gasped for air. His stomach churned, his chest hurting from heaving. He hadn't intended for it to happen, as he had planned to simply flee to his room to escape. However, he had finally reached his limit – the stress had become too much to handle. His energy was rapidly draining from his body, no doubt in to the toilet. It hadn't actually been all that permanent to start with, fueled mostly by adrenaline. He heard Aogiri's voice and felt his presence, which prompted him to turn to stare at the pirate with uneven eyes. "...I don't feel good..."

Aogiri made sure Matsubusa took the water and towel before he wrapped his arms gently around the redhead. "I took this too far, didn't I?" he said softly. "I'm sorry."

Matsubusa didn't have the energy to resist, going limp in Aogiri's arms. In the haze, he noticed how warm and strong Aogiri felt against his body, the pirate cradling him as he held him closely. It actually felt very nice, especially against his chilled body. He wanted nothing more than to drift away in to that warmth, to finally let his body succumb to the exhaustion he felt. "...Can we stop now...?"

The question wrenched Aogiri's heart to the point where words failed him. He couldn't think of anything he could say in response before Matsubusa went limp against him, passing out from exhaustion and excessive alcohol.

Ushio was the last of the admins to regroup at the front of the ferry, where their boat was docked. The rest of the grunts followed him before proceeding to board their ship, sliding down the ropes with ease. Ushio nodded to Matt and Shelly, then cracked his neck. "Well, I guess this means we're done, right? 'cuz none of you better tell me that Masky escaped after all this."

Shelly looked past Ushio to spy Aogiri coming onto the deck cradling a limp Matsubusa in his arms, with a suspiciously new Pokéball attached to his belt. She nearly cracked a joke when she noticed how pale the leader of Team Magma looked. "Doesn't look like it," she muttered before she moved to her leader's side. "What happened?"

Aogiri exhaled wearily as guilt helped the fatigue of the all nighter start to catch up to him. "Masky drank himself sick, and he's got a fever to boot."

Matt looked over, his brow wrinkling with concern. "Does that mean we'll be sending him back to Magma to recover?"

Shelly did a cursory examination of Matsubusa. "If his condition is bad, we should make sure he gets to a hospital." She raised her eyes to Aogiri's worried gaze. "But I'm not seeing anything that's making me worried... yet."

Aogiri managed a small smile. "When we get back to base, give him a full exam, and make sure to let me know all the details. I didn't have us go through all this to wreck Masky."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Ushio said as he flashed his captain a grin. "There ain't no point takin' him to a hospital, 'cuz the best doc won't be there. There ain't no doc better than Shelly."

"That's true," Shelly said as she followed Aogiri to their boat. "But hospitals have more equipment." She cocked her head slightly. "We might want to consider adding on to our supply."

"That'll be next on the to do list," Aogiri said as he turned his gaze towards the dozing Matsubusa. "For now, we've got to lay low from the cops and Team Magma. They're going to be crawling up our ass as soon as we take off and Izumi's jamming signal gets out of range."

"Exactly," Izumi's voice came over their earpieces, as she remained on the ship with their technology. "They're _already_ trying to post to Pokébook about this. Our hashtag's going to get flooded the very second we get out of range."

Matt propped his arms behind his head as he moved back to their boat. "Think anyone took any good video of us?"

"Sure as hell tried," Ushio grumbled. "Dumbasses couldn't put their Arceus-damned phones 'n Pokédexes down, even as we were puttin' 'em below deck."

Aogiri tuned out the banter and laughter of his comrades as he whisked Matsubusa off to his cabin. Normally, he would love to joke and celebrate their victory over Team Magma, but all he could think of at that moment was how shockingly small and fragile Matsubusa felt in his arms.


	4. Chapter 4

"They got him," Courtney said, her quiet voice cutting through the chaos of the corporate room like a knife.

Homura stopped mid-conversation to turn and stare at Courtney. He was silent for several moments before he snapped his Pokédex shut, hanging up on the hapless airport employee he had been dealing with. Slowly, he sunk down in to his chair and covered his face with his hands, resting his elbows on the table.

"...How do you know?" Kagari asked, trying to keep her voice neutral. It took her a great deal of control to remain seated and not stand up sharply at Courtney's announcement.

A few clicks of the mouse and Courtney took over the big screen, loading up the Team Aqua hashtag. In it, the top posts showed numerous photos and reports of Team Aqua raiding the ferry that Matsubusa had been sighted on that morning. The most insulting pictures to Team Magma were the ones where Team Aqua members indulged some of the passengers by posing for selfies with them.

Homura didn't even bother to look up at the screen, pressing his hands hard against his face.

"I'll get to work tracking down any leads to their headquarters," Courtney said, her eyes never leaving her laptop.

Kagari glanced to Homura, watching the man as he dug his nails in to his skin, his hands trembling slightly. "...Please do."

"...My fault," Homura murmured, his voice like a growl. "It's all my... fault."

Kagari grimaced before she reached over to touch Homura's arm. "There's no way you could have predicted this."

Homura's arms trembled as he moved his fingers up his face to bury them in his hair. "I should have let him come home when he wanted to! If I had, then none of this would have happened!" He grit his teeth as he bowed his head. "Arceus knows what those bastards are doing to him right now...!"

* * *

The trip back to Hoenn and was longer than it took Team Aqua to get to Kanto, but they wanted to make sure to lose any pursuit coming after them and avoid leading the authorities or Team Magma back to their headquarters. Aogiri wouldn't have minded the length of the trip, as he had plans for Matsubusa once they were alone together on the ship, but those plans were shelved until Matsubusa recovered.

Aogiri entered his cabin with a bowl of hot soup in his hand and a bottle of water tucked under his arm. A growl greeted him and he flashed the Houndoom with a hangover that glared at him from his bed. "Hey now, that's not taking care of Masky if you don't let me give him something to drink, is it?"

Dante considered the question as his gaze slid to Matsubusa who slept by his side. His ears folded back in an obvious sign of annoyance, but he quieted and allowed Aogiri to deliver the offering.

Aogiri had debated whether or not to let Dante roam free, but eventually he decided it would be fine, as he knew Leviathan would have no trouble taking the Houndoom down if Dante decided to attack anyone. Right now he was more concerned about Matsubusa's recovery, and he knew from experience that having your most loyal Pokémon at your side helped significantly. He set the food and drink on the table beside his bed and peered over at the redhead's sleeping face. "So, how's Masky doing?"

Dante's eyes narrowed, but otherwise he remained rigid.

Aogiri sighed and shook his head. "Not up for talking, huh? Guess I don't blame you after the run around we gave you and Masky, but, believe me, making you two miserable was the opposite of what I had in mind."

Dante let out a snort of flame, his nose wrinkling.

Aogiri looked at Matsubusa to verify that the redhead was still deep in slumber then pulled up a chair beside the bed. "I'm serious. I just have the hots for Masky, and I _know_ he has the hots for me too. I just wanted to corner him so we'd have time to start up something."

Dante let out a growl of displeasure.

Aogiri cocked an eyebrow. "Is that an 'I disapprove of you' growl? Since I don't think it's a 'you're wrong' growl, since Masky himself told me he's getting himself off to thoughts of me. Trashed a lot of underwear in the process too."

Dante's jaw dropped as shock shattered his angry sneer, and he turned to look at Matsubusa in disbelief.

Aogiri hid a chuckle behind his hand. "Oh come off it. You knew all along he had the hots for me, didn't you?"

Dante shot Aogiri a glare and snorted a puff of smoke.

A soft murmur came from Matsubusa, interrupting the conversation. The redhead grimaced as he stretched out his lithe body, his toes curling at the effort. Then, oblivious, the redhead rolled over to drape his arm over Dante, hugging him close. Unfortunately, the action jostled the blanket that was wrapped around him, dislodging it to reveal the simple fact that he wasn't wearing any clothes. Aogiri had stripped him of the wet garments before putting him to bed, and as a result a full moon was on display where the blanket was no longer covering.

Aogiri felt heat rush through him at the sight of Matsubusa's pale rump and long, slender legs. He barely realized that now was not the time to oogle before Dante shoved the blanket back over Matsubusa with a flash of clawed paws and pierced the pirate with a dirty growl and glare.

Aogiri held his hands up defensively and crossed his legs. "Hey, whoa, easy. That wasn't my fault. I'm totally innocent this time."

Dante growled again, his dangerous red eyes never leaving Aogiri.

Matsubusa murmured softly, drifting in and out of consciousness as the conversation slowly pierced the feverish haze in his brain. After several more moments, he rolled back over so that he was laying on his back, his eyes drifting open. "Hmn...?"

Aogiri felt a rush of relief and smiled at Matsubusa. "Hey, Masky. How you feeling?"

Matsubusa blinked slowly, his eyes focusing on Dante as the Houndoom draped over his waist, keeping the blanket firmly in place. As his eyes lingered on his Pokémon, a smile drifted up across his face. Shakily, he reached up to ruffle the Houndoom's cheeks. "Danteeeeeee..."

As Matsubusa pet Dante, he paused as he noticed Aogiri out of the corner of his eyes. Turning his head slowly, the redhead regarded the pirate in groggy silence before his brow furrowed. Slowly, his mind put the pieces together despite the sluggishness that plagued it. "...Ao... giriii..."

Aogiri couldn't help but savor the sound of his name on Matsubusa's lips. "That's me. Don't worry, you're in good hands."

Matsubusa blinked again, his eyes still rather unclear. It was so hard to really understand what the pirate was saying, the words filtering through his head as if he were underwater. "Where...? Homura..."

Aogiri had to resist the urge to touch Matsubusa, as he felt fairly certain that Dante would bite or burn him if he tried. "You got pretty sick, so I'm going to be taking care of you." He picked up the bottle of water and opened it before holding it out to the redhead. "Here, you need to get rehydrated."

Matsubusa looked at Aogiri, then down at the bottle of water. "...I'm not drunk, Homura..."

Aogiri blinked and fought back a snicker. "Funny, I didn't think I looked anything like that second in command of yours."

Matsubusa tilted his head back against the pillow as he looked up at Aogiri. After several moments of more staring, he furrowed his brow again. Then, his eyes widened slightly as his brain finally registered what was happening. The redhead sat up sharply with a gasp, which quickly turned in to a groan when the sudden action jostled his head and made his senses begin to spin. "Y-you're...!"

Aogiri held up his hands. "Relax, relax. I promise you're going to be just fine. Don't worry that I'll cop a feel or anything. I'd prefer to do my flirting when you're well enough to melt into my arms and moan over it." He flashed Matsubusa a wicked smile, unable to help but tease a little.

Dante let out a warning growl, his ears canting back.

"With your consent obviously," Aogiri said, glancing at Dante.

Matsubusa wobbly laid back down, his hands going up to hold his head. It felt as though it could fall off at any moment. "Why... what...?" The redhead paused, looking at Aogiri through his fingers and then about the room. None of it really made any sense, especially since it strongly conflicted with what he last remembered – boarding the ferry. "...Am I dreaming?"

"Nope," Aogiri said, holding the water bottle out to Matsubusa again. "You're really naked in my bed with the king of the seas as your nursemaid. Now come on and drink up. I've got some soup for you too."

Matsubusa unthinkingly accepted the bottle of water before he paused, his eyes widening. "N-nake-?!" He quickly looked down, the sight of his bare chest and blanket barely covering his lower regions confirming the pirate's words. The redhead's face exploded in a deep blush and he nearly dropped the water, spilling a little bit on his chest before he recovered and held it upright. "-_Why_-!?"

Dante glared at Aogiri, silently asking the same question.

"Relax," Aogiri said soothingly. "It was because your clothes were soaked and stained in puke. You were throwing up alcohol for hours. I cleaned you up and put you to bed and made sure your Pokémon partner would be right here to take care of you and help you relax without worrying I might try something."

Matsubusa stared at Aogiri before he grimaced, his face still a deep shade of red. Hearing the reason did little to make him feel better. It was a rather humiliating way to be captured, to say the very least. "I-I... w-well, if you hadn't been chasing me, I wouldn't have... have gotten to that point!"

"True enough," Aogiri said. "That was my bad overdoing it. I just wanted to give us a chance to hang out together privately so we can get to know each other a little better. Doesn't make it right, but hey, I promise to make it up to you."

Matsubusa eyed Aogiri uneasily. The pirate's words made no sense, and he knew there had to be something he was missing. He took a moment to drink the bottle of water, satisfying his parched throat and ease what he imagined was the lingering remnants of the aforementioned 'puking' as he considered his words. He then lowered the bottle, staring hard at the pirate. "...'Hang out'?"

Aogiri snickered at the clear disbelief in Matsubusa's voice. "Hang out, seduce, wherever the mood takes us." He dared to trace a finger along the redhead's cheek until Dante snapped rows of sharp teeth threateningly in his direction.

Matsubusa's eyes widened as a small squeak escaped him, the blush on his cheeks deepening in color. "Y-you... e-even now, you insist...!" He gripped the blanket, holding it tightly to his body with his spare hand as he pointed the half-empty bottle of water at the pirate. "I-if you think I'm going to just... just lie here and take it...!"

"Actually I expect you to lie there and get better," Aogiri chuckled as he picked up the bowl of soup. "Speaking of which, you need to eat too."

Matsubusa blinked before his face twisted in to a scowl. "I-I have no intention of doing _that_, either! You-"

A spoon full of warm, creamy chicken soup cut off Matsubusa's protest.

"Trust me," Aogiri chuckled. "There's no way you can resist the world's best chicken soup. My man Matt is a _genius_ in the kitchen. He makes the ab-so-lute _finest_ food in all the world."

Matsubusa was startled by the sudden influx of food in to his mouth. Before he could even think of a proper protest, he had swallowed the food in question, the warm and smooth liquid flowing down his throat. It took only a moment for his stomach to come alive, screaming noisily as it demanded more nourishment after being denied for so long. The redhead hesitated as his blush returned, his grip tightening around both the bottle of water and the blanket as he pulled it up closer against his chest. "...Ah."

Aogiri delighted in that shy reaction and offered more soup, lightly pressing the spoon against Matsubusa's lips. "You know it's delicious, admit it."

Matsubusa hesitated before he opened his mouth, allowing Aogiri to slip the spoon in again. He couldn't even think of a response, and instead decided to use the food as an excuse to remain silent. He only hoped that his ever deepening blush wouldn't give him away.

Aogiri relished in Matsubusa's complacency, as well as the rosiness of the redhead's cheeks, as he spoon fed Matsubusa. "Right now, let's just focus on getting you better. After that, then we'll see where the mood takes us."

Matsubusa felt compelled to argue, but it was hard to find the words when his mouth was constantly being filled with soup. And as much as he wanted to verbally bite Aogiri's face for what he _seemed_ to be implying, the food was rapidly becoming a higher priority. The warmth and texture was soothing as it went down his throat, while the taste was just as remarkable as Aogiri had implied. As a result, the best he could muster was a disgruntled grunt as he continued to accept each spoonful of soup as Aogiri offered it.

Dante watched the scene unfold with annoyance in his eyes, but he merely remained vigilant for the moment.

When the bowl was empty save for a few stray drops, Aogiri set it down onto the table and leaned back in his seat. "Now we'll see if that stays down. If you're doing better later, you can go ahead and order something else, and I'm sure Matt won't mind making it as long as it's not something ridiculously fancy like goose liver or bull testicles."

Matsubusa brought the bottle of water up to help wash down the rest of the soup just as Aogiri began to speak. As the words filtered through, the redhead choked, spitting out the water before he could clasp his hand over his mouth to stop it.

Aogiri couldn't stop himself from laughing. "Oh, I'm sorry, I should've called them foie gras and rocky mountain oysters, shouldn't I?"

Matsubusa sniffled as he wiped at his mouth, then glared at Aogiri. "Y-you shouldn't have mentioned them at all! Do I _look_ like someone who'd eat that garbage!?"

Aogiri gave a casual shrug. "Hey man, I don't judge. Rich people eat crap as long as it has a fancy name to impress other rich snobs. You do want you gotta do."

Matsubusa's scowl deepened. "And you think that includes eating the result of animal abuse and... t-t-t-t-_oysters_."

"Yup," Aogiri said. "Though I guess I should've guessed you'd rather flip the table if you found foie gras on it before eating it."

Matsubusa huffed, crossing his arms. "I would've _thought_ that you'd _pay attention_ all those times you kept _sticking your nose in_ where it _didn't belong_, but clearly I expected too much from you."

"My bad, my bad," Aogiri chuckled. "I just picked the first two fancy pieces of garbage I could think of off the top of my head without thinking that you're probably like me and would rather eat testicles than foie gras, veal, or any of that other shit."

Matsubusa eyed Aogiri, his sulk still quite prominent. "I wouldn't eat t-o-_oysters_, either!"

Aogiri arched his eyebrows as his mouth curved at a wicked angle. "Oh come on, I'll bet you'll find a nice big juicy pair of golden brown balls delicious. I've got a pair of nice salty ones you can try."

Matsubusa's eyebrows shot straight up as he stared at Aogiri in stunned silence for several moments, before his face turned a deep shade of red as a startled squeak escaped him. "W-w-w-_what_!?"

Aogiri leaned in closer, his eyes glinting with promises of pleasure. "I've got a nice long shaft of meat to go with them, and I'm the type of guy who encourages you to play with your food as much as you like."

Matsubusa could only gape at Aogiri before he let out a stream of strangled sounds. He reached his hand about to smack at Aogiri, the hand impacting rather uselessly with the pirate's chest.

Aogiri took the hand that smacked him and brushed his lips against Matsubusa's fingers, never breaking eye contact the entire time. "I've never tried that type of dish either, but you're the first man to ever make me feel _starving_ for it."

Matsubusa's fingers trembled, frozen in Aogiri's grip. He felt as though steam was rising up from his crimson face, his blood boiling as the heat tried desperately to escape. He could only make another incoherent sound in protest, unable to form the words as they melted in his mouth.

Aogiri placed another kiss on the back of Matsubusa's hand before straightening up. "That said, I'll hold myself back on getting a taste until you're feeling better. Last thing I want is for you to get sicker because we had sexy times."

Matsubusa finally managed to find his voice as he trembled, though it was high-pitched and cracked. "S-s-s-s-sex-!?"

Aogiri waggled his eyebrows. "Love to, but like I said, we should wait until you're better first."

Matsubusa let out a strangled noise before he grabbed the pillow off Aogiri's bed, whipping it around to strike at the pirate with a shriek.

Aogiri backed up a bit, laughing as he held his hands up in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, I'll cool it with the innuendo for now."

Matsubusa gasped for air, out of breath. It was hard to tell if it was because he was still recovering, if he was simply _that_ mortified, or both, but the end result was the redhead quivering as he glared at Aogiri as he panted.

Aogiri's expression softened and he lightly patted Matsubusa's hand. "Sorry, that was too much, wasn't it? Tell you what, I'll leave you alone for a while and let you sleep some more. We can flirt some more when you're doing better."

Matsubusa paused before he made a small noise in the back of his throat, wrapping both of his arms around the pillow so that he could hold it against his chest. He peered up over the edge of the pillow as it obscured his blush, glaring at Aogiri.

Aogiri ignored the dirty look. "So, do you need anything while I'm here? Some more food? Aspirin?"

"...Another pillow," Matsubusa murmured.

The small request broadened Aogiri's smile before he rose to his feet. "Okay, wait right here and I'll bring you one. Anything else?"

Matsubusa paused before he held the pillow tighter. "_Two_ pillows."

Aogiri paused at the door. "Okay, two it is. That it?"

Matsubusa seemed to consider his response, his eyes darting over to Dante before turning back to Aogiri. "How many extra pillows do you have?"

Aogiri stifled a chuckle behind his hand. "Enough to make you two cramped for space if that's what you'd like."

"If you think you can carry it," Matsubusa said, his voice muffled by the pillow. "That meathead of yours can help, but he has to keep his eyes closed."

Aogiri laughed. "You don't want that, Ushio would just trip if you made him walk around with a big load with his eyes shut. I'll just make a lot of trips. Gives me an excuse to see a lot more of you." He flashed Matsubusa a wink and left without giving the redhead time to react with more than just an embarrassed squeak.

Matsubusa stared at the closed door before he let out a sigh, sagging against the pillow. Unthinkingly, his eyes drifted over to where his Houndoom sat and the redhead froze, noting the deadpan stare Dante had fixed on him. "...W-what!? What's that for!?"

Dante continued to stare at Matsubusa, his gaze intense, before he pointedly turned his eyes towards the door where Aogiri had been only a moment before.

Matsubusa felt the wordless judgment, with only served to make him flustered all over again. "W-what!? I-it's not like I... he's being a bastard!"

Dante made a show of rolling his eyes.

* * *

It was approaching midnight by the time Aogiri finished making his rounds on the ship. Being the captain with a large crew was a taxing, but rewarding job. He had just one last check to make before he could bunk with Matt for the night, the very reason why he had given up his bed in the first place – Matsubusa.

Though Aogiri tried to be quiet as he opened the door to his room, Dante's head shot up immediately, stance rigid. Glowing red eyes pierced him in the dark, but despite how unsettling the Houndoom might have been, he found himself pleased by such a dutiful reaction and didn't hesitate to creep inside. "Don't worry," he whispered. "I'm just here to make sure Masky is doing okay."

A tiny plume of flame from Dante's nose temporarily illuminated the bed and the countless pillows piled up around Matsubusa. He was seated on a number of them himself, resting comfortably even as he sat ready in the direction of the door, clearly on the watch for anyone creeping in. Despite how seriously he was taking his guard duty, he allowed Aogiri to get close enough to touch Matsubusa's forehead.

Aogiri was quiet as he held the back of his hand to Matsubusa's head, getting a good feel for the redhead's temperature. "Good," he whispered. "Doing better."

Matsubusa was blissfully unaware of Aogiri, sleeping peacefully. His head was propped up on several pillows while he held one not only in his arms but between his legs as well. Never before had Aogiri seen someone sleep with so many pillows, and making sure each and every one was in use. And even if the demand had seemed unreasonable, the man's comfortable slumber was proof enough that he had been genuine in his request.

Aogiri couldn't help a small snicker from escaping him before he brushed a few stray hairs out of Matsubusa's eyes. "Gonna have to stock up on pillows."

Matsubusa made a soft noise at the gesture, but otherwise didn't rouse. His expression was at ease, much better than it had been that morning. The tension was gone, and the illness mostly subsiding as the redhead slumbered peacefully with soft, even breaths.

Aogiri knew he needed to leave, but he had a hard time drawing himself away. The expression Matsubusa wore enchanted the pirate unlike anything he had ever seen. It gave him a sense of peace and hope that things might work out between them as he hoped.

As Matsubusa continued to sleep, his head tilted slightly as Aogiri's fingers trailed across his skin lightly. At the very least, the touch didn't seem to be disturbing him. If anything, he seemed to enjoy it as a ghost of a smile appeared on his face.

As much as Aogiri was enjoying himself, he knew he needed to stop before he became too tempted. He bent down to place a feather soft kiss on the crown of Matsubusa's head. "Goodnight, Masky," he murmured into the other man's hair.

A soft sigh escaped Matsubusa as he suddenly reached up to grab Aogiri's arm, though it was more placing his hand on Aogiri's arm than anything with any real strength. Matsubusa shifted, rolling on to his back as he held the pirate's hand in a feather-light grip.

Aogiri stilled at the motion. In the dim light peeking in through the edges of the door and the curtains on the window, the hand holding him looked so pale and fragile, not like the angry fist that sometimes held a wicked whip or tri-pronged claw. He placed his hand on top of Matsubusa's, stroking the other man's silky smooth skin.

Matsubusa's fingers twitched slightly before they fanned out, stretching a moment before going limp against the pirate's skin. The redhead murmured something quietly, the words not quite leaving his lips. Whatever the redhead was dreaming, it wasn't enough to make him take notice of the pirate, even as he touched Aogiri directly.

Aogiri bit back the urge to whine as he found himself unable to draw away. "You're making this really hard."

Matsubusa let out a soft sigh as he pressed his cheek up against the pillow, his hand comfortably resting on Aogiri's arm. His grip wasn't tight, more just lying there than anything, but it still made Aogiri feel like it would be cruel to displace it.

Aogiri could feel his resolve crumble, and he slipped under the sheets. The tiny warning growl of Dante made him pause halfway in and he gave the Houndoom an almost but not quite apologetic smile. "Don't worry, I'm not taking advantage. I'm just giving him a big warm pillow to cuddle with."

Dante rolled his eyes, but did nothing further as he watched Aogiri slip under the sheets beside his trainer.

Matsubusa didn't wake, even as Aogiri suddenly climbed in to bed. Instead, much to Aogiri's surprise and glee, the redhead drew closer to the new body heat, hooking his arm and leg over the pirate as if he were just another pillow.

Aogiri savored the feeling of Matsubusa's body fitting snuggly against his. Though a more primal part of him felt tempted to do more, he brushed it aside and reveled in the knowledge that he was holding his Masky close. That alone had been something he had been aching to do for far too long now.

Matsubusa pressed his forehead against Aogiri's chest, holding the pirate closely. It really did seem like the redhead thought he was just a larger pillow, and some part of the leader of Team Aqua felt rather guilty, as if he were intruding. At least, he _did_ until Matsubusa murmured something softly. "Aogiri..."

Aogiri felt his heart jump and pirouette at the sound of his name spoken so blissfully. A single word and he was undone as all doubt disappeared from his mind. Not even Dante's piercing stare could ruin the wonderful mood washing over him as he settled in for the night.

Sharing sleeping space with Matsubusa beat sharing it with Matt any day.

* * *

The morning sun brought with it more drama and stress for the unfortunate souls in charge of Kazan Industries. The phones had been ringing constantly, to the point that no one was even making an effort to answer them anymore as they instead focused on their primary goal – Matsubusa's immediate rescue.

Courtney had bags under her eyes that qualified as carryon luggage as she worked tirelessly at her computer. She had gone over two days now without sleep and the empty cups of coffee surrounding her promised that she would refuse to rest for longer still.

Kagari similarly looked frazzled, her expression fierce as she poured over maps that she had spread across the table. The maps were of the shoreline of Kanto and Hoenn, completely scribbled up with markers as she tried to plot all of the courses Team Aqua could have gone with their prize. And judging by the multitude of marks, there were many of them.

Tabitha sat with his head in his hands, a disheveled mess. He had finally gotten the helicopter working again, but it was useless without a place for him to take it. Searching the ocean from above was futile, as there were so many places Team Aqua could have gone.

Homura paced the room like a Persian in a cage, his expression fierce. He tapped away at his Pokédex, deleting the multitude of messages on both his email and Pokébook as he searched for any that might have been from Matsubusa – or Team Aqua. Instead, he only found requests for comment or vicious jeers from the ignorant masses who were bored enough to stick their noses in to the situation without any concern for the fact that a _man had been kidnapped_. Finally, he let out a snarl before he hurled the Pokédex at the far wall, feeling some manner of satisfaction as it bounced against it, the drywall cracking against the Pokédex's structurally superior build.

Fatigue wore away at Courtney's temper and her typical deadpan expression. She stabbed at her keys while muttering under her breath. "Eat Trojan and die, troll."

Kagari, who would normally discourage such behavior, simply let out a low chuckle. "I wonder if they'll ever make a connection."

"If they do I'll send them another volley," Courtney said as she vented her frustrations online.

Homura rubbed his face with his hands. "What do those assholes _want_? No ransom demands _at all_?"

"No activity whatsoever," Courtney grumbled.

"Perhaps they'll send one once they feel confident that they've made their escape," Kagari said as she glared down at the maps in front of her. "There's so many islands, and any one of them could house a base..."

"If only I could've finished repairs sooner...," Tabitha moaned, his voice muffled against his hands.

"You wouldn't have _had_ to do any repairs if I had let him come home when he wanted to." Homura replied, not looking at the other admins.

Kagari wearily glanced over to the two boys, her expression sympathetic. "It's not your fault – either of you. There was no way to predict-"

Courtney's hands slamming into the tabletop, rattling the cups and computers, cut off Kagari's attempts at comfort. "Stop acting like martyrs and _focus_!"

The other three admins were left stunned as Courtney's composure broke down far beyond anything she had shown before, even with copious amounts of alcohol. Her face skewed with uncharacteristic rage as her fingers curled like claws against the tabletop. "If you have time to sit here and whine, then you have time to actually _do_ something! You can beg Matsubusa to lash your backsides raw with his whip as many times as you want _after_ we get him back!"

Tabitha outright gawked at Courtney, his hands dropping limply to the table before Courtney thrust a finger in his direction.

"Start renting more helicopters and speed boats!" Courtney snapped. "And start breathing down the coast guard's neck! Pull everyone we can spare to use them!"

Homura's mouth hung open, but no words were forthcoming. He didn't even have a chance to think of any before Courtney pointed at him next.

"Get the damn police to stop sitting on their ass!" Courtney snarled. "Chew it off if you have to! And break your foot off in the rangers' asses while you're at it!"

Courtney collapsed back into her seat and turned her murderous gaze to the computer screen. "Kagari, you should start interrogating everyone who was on the ferry. Aqua might have let something slip that the idiot police and people didn't realize was an important clue."

Kagari stared at Courtney before her expression became resolved. She stood up as she nodded, leaving the maps behind. "I'll see what I can get – more than just gossip."

Tabitha stumbled to his feet, a little shaken up by the angry display. "R-right."

Homura was silent as he stared at Courtney for a moment, before his expression grew hard. "Got it." He went to pick up his Pokédex from up off the floor, then pocketed it before he hurried over to the door.

When the room was finally empty, only then did Courtney bury her face in her hands. There was nothing she could do but watch her search programs run, check websites, and try her best not to break down.


	5. Chapter 5

Aogiri snored lightly as he slept soundly, one arm draped over Matsubusa's waist while the rest of him lay sprawled out across the bed. The multitude of pillows positioned him awkwardly, but it did nothing to ruin his slumber, nor did the fact that Matsubusa was sprawled across him as though he was the redhead's personal self-warming mattress.

Morning light crept in through the window, casting its bright face on the occupants of the room. It passed over Leviathan as the large Feraligatr rested on the floor, sprawled out like a throw rug, before snaking its way up on to the bed. Aogiri's back was to the window, so it did little more than glisten off his body. Matsubusa, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. The sunlight found its way directly on to his dozing face, somehow managing to get past the wall of muscle that otherwise shielded him.

Matsubusa grimaced, making a soft sound as he was slowly roused by the annoying light. Even as he cracked his eyes slightly to glare at what dared to intrude on his sleep, he was only rewarded with even _more_ of the offensive light. Snapping his eyes shut again, the redhead shifted to move his face, burying it in to Aogiri's chest.

Despite the redhead's efforts, the light had still done its job. Consciousness was returning to Matsubusa, and it first noticed that something about Dante was _off_. Of course, clearly the warm body he held in his arms was Dante, as it was the only reasonable assumption. However, his mind groggily began to point out, if it was Dante that was spooning his front, then who was it spooning his back?

Matsubusa paused before he pulled his head back, turning it to open his right eye and peer behind him. He was immediately greeted by the sight of Dante, the Houndoom pressed up against his back as he slept. The sight was a familiar one, and soothed any concerns his groggy mind had. With a sigh, he turned his head back as he closed his eyes and got comfortable once more.

Unfortunately, it seemed that consciousness wasn't quite satisfied after all. After confirming that it was Dante behind him, Matsubusa's haze-filled brain still found reason to question the situation. After all, if Dante was actually _behind_ him, then who was is in his arms?

Matsubusa hesitated, as he could think of no appropriate answer. Sleepily, he pulled his head back again as he opened both eyes to see what he held in his arms. He was immediately awarded with the sight of Aogiri's perfectly chiseled pectorals, his chest proudly on display as it rose and fell gently with each slumbering breath.

The redhead hazily stared at Aogiri's chest for several moments as the unfamiliar vision slowly registered. Once it did, Matsubusa barely kept himself from letting out a strangled squeal, clasping both hands over his mouth as he jerked back, consciousness returning to him with all the grace of a semi truck.

Matsubusa trembled as he stared at Aogiri, face burning red as he realized what had happened – what he had done. Somehow, Aogiri had crawled in to the bed with him. And if that wasn't bad enough, the redhead had rewarded the pirate's efforts by curling up against him, _spooning_ him.

The redhead could only quiver in mortification, his hands clamped firmly around his mouth to keep him from potentially waking Aogiri with his revelation, though he feared it was too late. Matsubusa expected Aogiri to wake up and make some wisecracks against him, but minutes ticked by and nothing happened.

The leader of Team Magma watched Aogiri for any sign that the pirate was rousing from his slumber. When none came after several more minutes, only then did Matsubusa finally allow his body to relax with a heavy sigh in to his hands. Reluctantly, he peeled them away from his mouth as he looked at the pirate. The whole situation was ridiculous, there was no doubt about that. And yet once the panic had worn away, he found himself sitting among the sea of pillows, wedged between Dante and Aogiri.

Matsubusa watched the pirate breathe evenly as his mind wandered back to the night before. He couldn't even begin to guess when the pirate had entered the bed. The fact that Dante allowed it at least suggested that the Houndoom had deemed the action safe, and nothing had happened between them. Besides, it didn't fit Aogiri's character to molest him as he slept – the pirate would rather do that while he was _awake_.

In the current situation, it was Matsubusa who was awake and the pirate who was asleep. The redhead had no idea what to make of it, so he simply continued to sit as he stared at the pirate's peaceful face and listened to his gentle breathing.

There was something mesmerizing about Aogiri's face. During all their previous encounters, it was always confident and smug, smirking at him as the pirate did his best to be a complete pain in Matsubusa's behind. And yet, the same face looked so gentle as the same man slept. It was hard to really connect the two, to comprehend that it was the same person.

Matsubusa's gaze drifted from Aogiri's closed eyes to his nose, then his lips and beard. Before he even realized what was happening, his hands moved to tentatively touch at the beard, feeling it against his hand. Fanning his fingers, he nestled them in to the pirate's facial hair. It was a distinctively different feeling than Dante's fur, ticklish but not unpleasantly so. He had half-expected it to feel like he was touching a wire brush, and was surprised to see that wasn't the case. It was actually rather soft.

Aogiri sighed, his breath warm as it lightly danced across the redhead's fingers. A peaceful smile graced his face, causing Matsubusa to freeze in a rush of panic. However, the pirate was in no rush to wake, but instead slid his hand upward a little along the redhead's back and drew the rival team leader closer.

Matsubusa felt a surge of warmth that originated from the touch, and it spread rapidly through his body and up to his face. He hesitated, struck with indecision as Aogiri held him close in his sleep. The redhead didn't remove his hands, which were still buried in Aogiri's beard as if they belonged there. Matsubusa's heart began to thunder in his chest as he stared at the pirate, and only began to look away when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye.

Matsubusa's eyes slid over to the floor, where Leviathan was stretched out. His insides froze, heat turning to ice, as his eyes met the Feraligatr's. Leviathan had turned to look direction at him, her expression dispelling any question about whether or not she had seen the redhead's actions. She had not only seen them, but _understood_ them, and her quirked brow loudly communicated what she couldn't do with words.

The redhead struggled to find words as Leviathan stared at him. Unfortunately, it didn't end there. He felt a similar feeling of someone _else_ looking at him, and Matsubusa turned his head just enough that he found himself looking in to Dante's own eyes as the Houndoom stared at him.

Dante let out a deep sigh, his eyes briefly drifting to the ceiling.

Matsubusa trembled before he abruptly sat up, using his hands to push Aogiri away. Considering that his hands were still buried in Aogiri's beard, the pirate's face bore the brunt of the force. "_Nothing happened_!"

The loud protest and push were enough to rouse Aogiri into semi-consciousness with a grunt. "Always figured you were into the kinky stuff, Masky..."

Matsubusa's face exploded a deeper shade of red as he bristled. "_What_!?"

Aogiri blinked open his eyes, which were heavy with sleep and let out a quiet snort. "Huh?"

"I didn't... I didn't do anything!" Matsubusa blurted out, his face deep red. "Why are you in my bed, anyway!?"

Aogiri stifled a yawn behind his hand. "Good morning to you too." He took the time to stretch his arms and legs with a sigh. "Actually, it's my bed if you want to be technical about it, but I don't mind sharing it with you."

Matsubusa found himself watching as Aogiri stretched in spite of himself, before he quickly realized what he was doing and gave a quick shake of his head. "Y-you... you gave it to me, so that makes it mine!"

A chuckle escaped Aogiri, and he flashed Matsubusa a wry smile. "Well, I don't mind giving ownership to you if you don't mind me taking up a little space in it with you now and again."

Matsubusa stared at Aogiri as his face turned red. As he felt all eyes turn on him, not only Aogiri's but from the Pokémon as well, he jerked and grabbed the blanket, holding it tightly against his body. "D-d-don't say such stupid things-!"

Aogiri reached out to brush the back of his hand against Matsubusa's cheek. "Last night, I came in to check on you, and you grabbed onto me, sighing my name, and there was nothing I could do. How can I resist you when you're being so sweet like that?"

Matsubusa's eyes widened as he gawked at Aogiri, his jaw dropping. "W-what-!? When did I-!?" His pale face immediately turned red again, a tremor running through him. "I never-! Why would I-!?"

Aogiri stroked Matsubusa's flushed skin with his thumb. "I think it has something to do with the fact that you have fantasies about me so sexy they wreck your underwear."

Matsubusa's jaw dropped as he stared at Aogiri, completely taken aback. "H-how... how do... you...?"

"You told me while you were drunk off your ass," Aogiri chuckled. "Took me by surprise, but I was _not_ disappointed."

Matsubusa's mouth moved with no sound coming out, at least initially. As his mind slowly began to process what Aogiri was saying, his blush began to deepen until it spread across his entire face, to his ears, and his neck. Then, and only then, did his voice finally come out – high pitched and squeaking. "That's a lie! A lie a lie a lie _a lie_! _I don't remember any of that_!"

Aogiri lightly tapped Matsubusa's lower lip as he moved in close, his voice going low and sultry. "You're not fooling anyone, Masky."

"I-I'm not trying to fool anyone!" Matsubusa protested, even as he felt his heart flutter and his body grow impossibly warm as Aogiri drew closer. "L-least of all a fool like you!"

Aogiri loomed over Matsubusa, leaving only a breath's space between them. "So what're you denying – that I'm making you come hard in your dreams or that you were drunk off your ass enough to admit it?"

Matsubusa's breathing hitched as his fingers clutched the blanket and held it close against his bare skin. He couldn't find the words to reply, especially not with Aogiri so close. Even if he _could_ find the words to say, it felt as though even his breath was an indecent kiss against his skin. Words would only take it in to even more dangerous territory.

Aogiri took his time to trace Matsubusa's lips with his finger. "See what I mean?" He was so close now that his lips brushed against the back of his nail when he spoke. "You're not fooling _anyone_, Matsubusa."

Matsubusa trembled as his breathing quickened. He felt the urge to lick his lips, his mind insisting it was just to moisten them and not because of the blazing trail Aogiri had left there. It was absolutely not because he wanted to taste the pirate, to close the distance between them. That absolutely, positively was _not_ the reason. "A... Ao... giri..."

A sharp knock on the door sent both men jerking back a second before it opened a crack to reveal Matt peeking in. "Breakfast ti..." The admin trailed off as he noticed how close the two leaders were and the generous amount of skin exposed by Matsubusa's drooping blanket. "Never mind I see you're busy bye!" There was barely a chance to see his cheeks turn bright red before the door slammed shut.

Matsubusa froze, the sudden appearance of Matt immediately like snow down his metaphorical pants. Despite the chill, his blush only became worse – turning in to pure mortification. He let out a strangled shriek at the same time as a stream of protests escaped him, the redhead jerking his hands out to shove Aogiri away.

Aogiri grunted as he was pushed back, but the difference in their strength kept him from going very far. The annoyance he felt at the interruption destroying the mood between them was short lived, as he found himself distracted by the fact that Matsubusa had dropped the blanket. "That hungry for breakfast, Masky?"

"B-bastard! You _bastard_!" Matsubusa seethed, gripping his hands in to fists and shaking them at Aogiri. "You did that on _purpose_!"

Aogiri forgot the next bit of teasing banter he had prepared to point out Matsubusa's exposure and instead blinked at the redhead. "Huh?"

"Y-you knew he was going to do that!" Matsubusa snarled as he pointed accusingly at Aogiri. "So you purposely put me in a compromising position!"

Aogiri slowly cocked an eyebrow before raising a finger. "Okay, first off, if my plan was to humiliate you, I could've done that just by letting everyone see you naked." He raised another finger. "Second, what exactly would've been the signal to let Matt know to peek in and out and run like hell instead of, I don't know, secretly record us with a camera or throw open the door for the crew to be laughing at you?" He cocked his head back as he raised a third finger. "And finally, why the hell would I give myself blue balls after I've finally got you naked in my bed all to myself? I'm already at half mast and I was _this_ close to finally getting a kiss from you!"

Matsubusa went completely silent as he gaped at Aogiri, taken aback. He hesitated, both embarrassed and surprisingly ashamed of himself for the accusation. "I-I... that's..."

However, it was at that point that Aogiri's words fully settled in – particularly the words 'blue balls' and 'naked'. The redhead jerked and his eyes darted down to confirm for himself, noticing a bulge in Aogiri's lap. As heat flooded his face, his eyes then darted to his own body, his eyes falling on bare flesh and the blanket barely covering his modesty. Matsubusa's breathing hitched as his eyes went wide, seconds before a strangled squeak escaped him. Grabbing the blanket, he yanked it up roughly before it went completely over his head. The redhead curled up underneath in to a tight ball, screaming incoherent words at the pirate.

Aogiri sighed, resigning himself to another missed opportunity at finally getting some action from Matsubusa and lightly patted the blanket where the other man's head would be. "Alright, alright, I got the message. Mood's dead, and you need some space for a while." He slid off the bed and stretched, willing his disappointed member back down as best he could. "I've got to get the ship ready to dock at base anyway." At the door, he looked back at Matsubusa, who was still hiding and sputtering. "I'll be back with breakfast in a little while. Come on, Levi."

Leviathan rumbled her agreement before she stood up, stretching leisurely before she flashed Dante and the hiding Matsubusa a grin. She then turned and lumbered after her trainer, in a surprisingly good mood.

Dante watched the pair leave until the door clicked shut behind them and then turned back to Matsubusa, waiting until the man's fit of embarrassment died down.

After several moments of silence, Matsubusa's trembling eased down. As time went on and he became more assured that the torment had ended, at least for the time being, the redhead finally peered up from underneath the blanket to look at the door.

Dante nuzzled Matsubusa's cheek with his nose once his trainer emerged, his tail lashing from side to side.

Matsubusa instinctively reached over to touch Dante's head, the redhead reassured by his Pokémon's affection. He continued to eye the door, a scowl appearing on his face as he ruffled the Houndoom's ears. "...T-that bastard thinks he can just... tease me and get away with it...!"

Dante let out a puff of warm air, his eyes briefly traveling to the ceiling, before he shrugged off his trainer's ineffectual denials and simply enjoyed being petted.

* * *

Aogiri tried to take his time getting breakfast, but it wasn't long before he was back at his bedroom door with a tray full of piping hot food, eager to see how Matsubusa was doing. He chanced to peek inside, but before he could say anything, he saw the captivating view of Matsubusa's behind in the air, aimed towards him in a silky boxers almost in a silent taunt. Although he could see that it was just the redhead was merely getting dressed, he couldn't turn down the silent invitation to squeeze Matsubusa's rump.

Matsubusa jumped with a squeak, dropping the top to his changshan back on the bed. He clasped his hands over his butt as he whipped around, face red. "What-!?"

Aogiri waggled his eyebrows as he wiggled his fingers. "I noticed you found the clothes I left for you. I figured you'd appreciate some fine silk on that choice ass of yours."

Matsubusa blushed darkly as he shielded his rump with his hands. "T-they're my clothes to begin with! You... you idiot!"

Aogiri chuckled as he brought the tray out in front of him. "Glad to see you're in a playful mood again. Shall we have breakfast together? I want to hear you sweet talk me some more."

Matsubusa was about to snap when he paused. The sight and scent of the food was enough to get his stomach rumbling, reminding him that he hadn't eaten much except for some soup within the past few days. Anything he had eaten prior to the soup had long since been thrown up with the alcohol, leaving him quite famished. The redhead's eyes darted from the tray to Aogiri, before he tentatively reached out to accept the offered food. "I-it's just the food, I have no interest in you at all."

Aogiri chuckled and took a seat on the bed. "Riiiight, right."

Matsubusa set the food down on the table near the bed, looking at the assorted breakfast food spread across it. He swiftly plucked up a sausage from the plate and extended it towards Dante.

Dante eagerly snatched up the offered food with a happy bark, his tail wagging so hard he stirred up a small breeze.

Aogiri snickered at the sight. "Yo, Dante, that food is supposed to be for me and Masky. We got a nice hot meal waiting for you in the mess hall."

Dante eyed Aogiri as he chewed the sausage and made a show of planting his rump on the floor with a small snort of smoke from his nostrils.

Matsubusa paused at that, his face turning red as he stared at Aogiri. "E-eh?! A-as in... together!?"

Aogiri reached for the tray, his hand brushing along Matsubusa's arm in the process, before he snagged a sausage for himself. "I was going to leave the tray if you still needed some space, but you're looking a lot more _friendly_ at the moment."

Matsubusa squeaked, his face exploding with crimson. "F-f-f-friendly!?"

Aogiri munched on the morsel of meat as he coiled a strand of Matsubusa's vivid red hair around his finger. Though he refused to talk with his mouth full, his eyes spoke of his amusement for him.

Matsubusa trembled, his blush spreading down his face, before he furiously took a bite out of the sausage, his fangs tearing in to it. "D-d-d-don't be stupid!"

Aogiri blinked as he noticed Matsubusa's teeth for the first time. "Oh damn that's cute."

Matsubusa paused at that, blinking as he stared at Aogiri. "H-huh?"

Aogiri lightly tapped Matsubusa's chin. "You've got _fangs_!"

"E-eh? Ah," Matsubusa blushed, immediately self-conscious. He could feel Aogiri's eyes honing in on his teeth, only increasing the sensation. "S-so do you!"

"Nah, not like those," Aogiri said with a grin. "Yours are big and adorable!"

Matsubusa's blush deepened as he trembled, staring at Aogiri with wide eyes. "H-how are fangs _adorable_?!"

Aogiri leaned in closer. "I don't know, but I do know you make that look _irresistible_!"

Matsubusa was completely taken aback, his heart beating furiously in his chest. He stammered as he struggled for words before he quickly looked away. "Y-you've hardly been trying in the first place!"

Aogiri slowly traced a heart on Matsubusa's cheek. "Oh, I've been trying, _believe me_. You just make it impossible for me to have as much self-control as I usually have. You should feel impressed at yourself for driving me crazy all the time."

Matsubusa clasped a hand over his cheek, whirling to stare at Aogiri again. His cheek burned along where Aogiri had touched him, a reminder of what the pirate had done. "...W-well, i-it's your own fault...!"

"Oh?" Aogiri cocked an eyebrow. "Do tell."

"W-who gave you permission to... to drive yourself crazy over me!?" Matsubusa demanded, his face still quite crimson. "It certainly wasn't me!"

Aogiri chuckled as he toyed with Matsubusa's long red hair. "Funny that. I've never been one for following the rules, and something tells me you feel the same way, _Masky_."

Matsubusa jerked, sucking in a hiss of air at the name. It was a stark reminder that the pirate had guessed his identity. Stiffening, he looked away. "...I-I don't know what you mean. That... that 'name' means nothing to me."

Aogiri eased closer, his warm breath caressing the side of Matsubusa's neck before tickling the redhead's ear. "Okay, I get it. Since we're alone now and nice and intimate, you want me to call you by your real name, right, _Matsubusa_?"

Matsubusa felt a shiver run up his spine, goosebumps forming along his skin. Aogiri's voice was husky and suggestive, hinting at all sorts of indecencies as he purred out his name. "D... don't say my name s-so vulgarly!"

"How is it vulgar to say the name of the man who drives me _crazy_?" Aogiri whispered as he traced the contours of Matsubusa's jaw with his fingertip.

"I-it sounds like you're doing dirty things to my name!" Matsubusa snapped, his voice high-pitched and squeaking.

Aogiri savored the noises Matsubusa made, feeling warmth flow through him. "What a coincidence – I've been imagining doing dirty things to _you_ for a long time now."

Matsubusa shivered again, his body temperature rising with Aogiri so close to him. It was hard to focus, and he was certain that was the entire point. As he tried to regain control of the situation, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "...B-breakfast!"

Aogiri blinked before his stomach rumbled in agreement. He warred between two very strong primal needs before finally leaning back with a sigh. "Okay, okay, I get the message. I'll ease up on the seduction so we can both eat." He snatched one of the forks so that he could spear himself some omelette. "But afterward..." He let the promise dangle in the air, his eyes never leaving Matsubusa.

Matsubusa tentatively took the other fork, still flustered despite Aogiri's retreat. The way Aogiri's eyes locked with his own kept the feeling inside him burning. He knew the pirate was just teasing him, as he had done numerous times in the past. And it had been difficult enough to deal with _then_, when he had his mask to protect him. Without it, he felt naked and vulnerable, and far more susceptible than he ever realized he could be. "A-afterwards nothing! Y-you... you idiot..."

"Oh yeah, sweet talk me some more," Aogiri practically purred. "It just makes the chase more exciting."

Matsubusa jabbed a sausage with his fork before he jammed it in his mouth, creating an excuse not to speak as he didn't dare trust his voice. Sadly, it was a useless effort as his brilliantly red face spoke far louder than anything he could say.

Aogiri snickered, but said nothing as he took a bite of omelette.

Dante climbed up onto the bed and abruptly wedged himself between the two men, forcing Aogiri to move away from Matsubusa. He eyed the leader of Team Aqua before resting his head in his trainer's lap.

Aogiri looked at the Houndoom with a mixture of annoyance and amusement. "I can't tell if that's Pokespeak for 'let my trainer have breakfast' or 'I'm jealous of all the attention you're giving to Aogiri so pet me already'."

Dante gave Aogiri a sideways look, his expression deadpan.

Aogiri hummed thoughtfully. "The first one, I'll bet. If it was the second, you'd be giving me this smug smile that you're in Masky's lap instead of me."

Dante flashed rows of sharp teeth at Aogiri before accepting another offering of sausage from Matsubusa.

"Or both," Aogiri conceded.

Matsubusa quirked an eyebrow at Aogiri as he pet his Houndoom's head, offering him bits of breakfast. "...Are you really picking a fight with my Pokémon over me?"

Aogiri blinked before he barked out a laugh. "Ah, come on, I'm just having a little fun with him." He nudged Matsubusa's shoulder lightly. "I know better than to come between a trainer and Pokémon, especially when they're just being concerned."

Matsubusa considered that before he looked down at Dante, his cheeks light pink. "...Good. T-that would've made things... awkward..." He muttered under his breath, more to himself than Aogiri.

Aogiri gave Matsubusa's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, I'm gonna make you more than happy enough that Dante won't need to worry about you so much."

Dante caught Aogiri's gaze so the man could watch as he rolled his eyes.

Aogiri snickered at the silent retort. "You just watch, pup!"

Matsubusa glanced at the hand on his shoulder, the touch warm and firm against his skin. Unfortunately, the glance also reminded the redhead that he was still shirtless – he hadn't finished getting dressed when Aogiri interrupted. The realization sent a chill up Matsubusa's spine before he stammered out an incoherent series of words, reaching to grab his changshan top.

Aogiri blinked, startled by the sudden onslaught of embarrassed nonsense from Matsubusa, before he saw the redhead hastily finish dressing. He snapped his fingers. "Darn, you noticed. There goes my tasty breakfast view."

Matsubusa grabbed the changshan and quickly yanked it on, stopping only to button it up as he glared over his shoulder at Aogiri. "Y-y-you!"

Aogiri lightly poked Matsubusa's nose. "And here I thought you were purposefully trying to wind me up by showing off that hot bod of yours."

Matsubusa held his changshan tightly to his chest, despite it being already on. "I-I... h-hot bod-!?"

Aogiri traced the collar of the changshan. "Hotter than lava."

Matsubusa watched Aogiri's finger before he looked up sharply to Aogiri's face, his own flooded with heated mortification. Thankfully, he was saved from having to speak by the sudden knock at the door.

"I assume it's safe to come in?" Shelly said through the door. "Because it doesn't seem like you two are busy rocking the boat yet."

Aogiri let out an annoyed breath at yet another interruption and eyed the door. "Kinda hard to get any rocking started with you lot coming in and out."

Matsubusa furrowed his brow at the insinuation, before it registered precisely what Shelly and Aogiri were implying. Shock and mortification exploded across his face as he gripped his shirt tightly. "S-shut up! D-don't make it sound like... like we were about to do something!"

Shelly opened the door and leaned against the frame, arms folded in front of her. She seemed to be pointedly ignoring what Matsubusa said as she focused on her captain. "Sorry to be a cockblock, but we're ready to dock, and I'd be a poor doc if I didn't check up on my patient."

Aogiri held up two fingers barely a millimeter apart. "You were _this_ close to making a pretty funny poem there."

Shelly shrugged as she entered the room. "I was going to use something with 'rock' but I already used it up before I came in and I didn't want to be too predictable." She looked at Matsubusa. "So, how're you doing today?"

Matsubusa frowned, his face still a deep shade of red. It was clear that the two had ignored his protests, but as infuriating as it was, he knew calling attention to it would only bring their focus back on the topic. The sooner they stopped talking about such things, the better. "...I'm feeling better, so I... suppose I should t-thank you. Though I have to say, the water puns are a bit much. Team Aqua or not, can't you save them for when you're actually _on_ a boat?"

Aogiri cocked an eyebrow. "You mean like right now? Sounds like a good plan to me, Masky!"

Matsubusa paused at that, his entire body stiffening. "...What?"

"So _water_ you waiting for?" Aogiri said with an exaggerated wink as he nudged Matsubusa with his elbow. "It's a_boat_ time to make some _fishy_ puns!"

Shelly groaned as she covered her face with her hand. "I blame you for this."

Matsubusa stared at Aogiri in silence, even as he was elbowed. His eyes darted over to Dante, who looked at him with a concerned look on his face. The redhead was tense as he found no denial from his Pokémon, and he swiftly got up to his feet and hurried over to the window as fast as he could. He stood up on his toes so that he could peer outside, silently pleading to see that Aogiri was lying to him.

The view through the round pane of glass chilled Matsubusa to the core. There was only two shades of blue in all directions – the sky and the open sea.

"Anyway, we'll be docking soon," Shelly said before jerking her thumb over her shoulder. "So get your ass out there, _captain_."

Aogiri moved to his feet with a reluctant sigh. "Alright, alright, I guess I can't have fun and games with Masky forever." He took advantage of Matsubusa's inattention to grope the redhead's bottom again.

Matsubusa let out a strangled shriek as he jumped, straightening up. He whipped around just in time to see Aogiri disappear through the door with a sassy grin on his face, his laughter echoing through the hallway. However, no blush appeared on his pale face as he trembled. His blood had turned to ice water as he felt as though the bottom of his stomach had fallen out. Nausea swirled inside him as his legs gave out, causing the redhead to collapse to the floor.

Shelly hurried to Matsubusa's side, her wry grin fading away to genuine concern. "What's wrong?"

"Water... boat," Matsubusa choked out, his eyes wild as they darted about the room, expecting to see water seeping up through the cracks that very minute. "W-water... there's water... it's everywhere...!"

Shelly frowned and immediately closed the curtains on the window. "You're not on the water, you're on a reinforced hunk of metal that can take _missiles_ without flinching."

"D-Dante-!" Matsubusa gasped out, his voice desperate. Trembling, the redhead proceeded to crawl towards the bed, his body unable to find the strength to walk. Everything beneath him felt as if it were about to give way, sturdy floor turning to fragile as if he were about to plummet in to the depths of the ocean at any moment. "_D-Dante_!"

Dante was at Matsubusa's side in an instant, pressing close to his trainer. He let out a tiny whine and nuzzled Matsubusa, doing what he could to offer support.

Matsubusa buried his face in the Houndoom's chest, curling up against him as he wrapped his arms about Dante's neck. His entire body was wracked with tremors as his breathing felt painful, his lungs unable to pump enough air in to his body to stop his head from spinning. "D-Dante...!"

Shelly brushed her hair back and muttered under her breath in another language before she moved to Matsubusa and helped the redhead climb into the bed. "Okay, look, I suck at being comforting, let's get that out of the way right now, but I want you to understand that you're _safe_. Okay? Aogiri'd rather die than let anything happen to you."

Matsubusa blurrily looked up at Shelly, tears in his eyes. One of his hands moved to grip at the bed, confirming the firmness of the mattress, even though it did little to stop his shaking. "I-I c-can't...!"

Shelly knelt down. "Okay, Matsubusa, look at me. Look at my eyes, okay? I want you to breathe when I breathe. Can you do that?"

Matsubusa found himself staring at Shelly, her eyes locking with his. When she was certain she had his attention, she began to breathe. The leader of Team Magma wasn't sure how or when it happened, but soon enough he found himself matching each breath. Shaky and rough at first, after several moments his breathing was deep and heavy, matching Shelly's own.

"Good," Shelly said in what she hoped was a soothing voice. "Keep breathing with me. You've got Dante here with you, and I'll bring out Goliath. He can fly. So you're safe. Okay?"

Matsubusa swallowed hard, his breathing more even than it was moments before. He stared at Shelly for several moments before he reached up to wipe at the suspicious moisture in his eyes, his other arm firmly wrapped around Dante's neck. He could do little more than nod slightly, unable to voice the words.

Shelly pulled her Pokéball off her belt and summoned her partner without even looking. "Okay, Matsubusa, do you think you'll be okay here in bed? Or do you think you'll need to ride Goliath's back? We can fly you to the island right now if that's what you need."

Matsubusa stared at Shelly, and relief flooded his face in an instant. He reached out a wobbly hand to grasp at Shelly's arm, his grip tight and trembling. "I-I... p-p-_please_...!"

Shelly nodded and patted Matsubusa's arm. "Okay. We'll leave as soon as you're ready to recall Dante into his Pokéball."

Dante growled, ears folded back.

Shelly fought the urge to look at the Houndoom. "Unless that Mountain Gogoat is good enough to balance on back of a flying Garchomp."

Dante nodded sharply before returning his focus to his traumatized trainer.

* * *

"Yo, Aogiri!" Ushio said as he looked up from supervising the grunts. He stood on the deck, watching as the men and women in blue unloaded their supplies, carrying them along the gangplank in to the depths of their base. It was an old military base, built in the underside of a an old sea-side cavern, in one of the many small islands in the shores off of Hoenn. It was their base closest to Kanto, a perfect place to stop and refuel before continuing onward to friendlier shores. At the sight of Aogiri arriving on deck, Ushio flashed his captain a grin. "So I hear ya didn't bunk with _Matt_, if ya get my meanin'."

Aogiri smirked, but shook his head ruefully. "I haven't gotten as far with Masky as you're probably thinking, but I did keep him company last night in my bed."

"An' he didn't kick yer ass out?" Ushio hummed as he rubbed his chin. "I guess ya really did get lucky, even if it wasn't in the way ya wanted!"

"Yup!" Aogiri said with a grin.

A blur of something big and dark out of the corner of his eye drew Aogiri's gaze to the sky. To his surprise, Goliath flew towards the island with Matsubusa seated on his back sandwiched between Shelly and Dante. It was enough to make the pirate captain pause, staring in confusion. "What the heck?"

Matsubusa trembled, his arms firmly wrapped around Shelly's waist as he buried his face in her back. It kept him from having to see the water around them and under them, as he didn't think he could keep himself together long enough to get ashore if he didn't.

To Matsubusa, the flight from the ship to the island felt like eternity, but it really only lasted several seconds before Shelly reached back to tap his shoulder.

"We're here," Shelly said.

Goliath turned his head to look back at Matsubusa, then at Dante as the Houndoom was pressed up firmly against his trainer's back, more for Matsubusa's sake than his own. The two Pokémon looked at each other for a moment before the Garchomp turned back around and gave a small snort.

Matsubusa reluctantly pulled his face away from Shelly's back, his eyes tentatively darting about to see a metal dock in front of a large door. It reminded him of his own bases, though it was made of heavy metal and very professional. Of course, Team Magma were professionals in their own right and the bases they built could hardly be called the work of amateurs, but the dock itself looked like it was designed for a lot more than just a place to restock and fuel. In the end, Matsubusa didn't care _what_ it was used for, he just wanted to be as far away from the water as possible.

The redhead tentatively released his grip on Shelly, ignoring the stares of the various grunts in the process of unloading their cargo as he slid down the backside of the Garchomp and landed on the metal dock with a slight _clang_. He trembled, still on his hands and knees as Dante kept quite close against him, maintaining a constant reassuring presence.

Shelly dismounted and knelt down in front of Matsubusa in one fluid motion. "Take your time. We'll go inside whenever you're ready."

Matsubusa glanced up at Shelly before his eyes darted around the dock, past the gawking grunts, down to the water lurking just over the edge. The leader of Team Magma then quickly looked back to Shelly as he fumbled up to his shaky feet, grasping at the Garchomp's tail to pull himself up. To his credit, Goliath didn't complain.

Shelly straightened up and gave her partner a pat on the arm before extending her hand to Matsubusa.

Matsubusa reached out to take Shelly's hand, his own trembling even as he grasped her tightly. "I-I... i-inside...?"

Shelly nodded. "You've got it."

Matsubusa couldn't help but smile at Shelly in relief and gratitude as she lead him inside the base, through the thick doors. With each step, he felt himself going further away from the terrifying water and on to solid land. It was a sensation he greatly appreciated.

"Let me know if you need anything," Shelly said. "We might've kidnapped you, but you're the guest of honor here, so Aogiri's going to have everyone bend backwards for you to make sure you're comfortable."

Matsubusa looked up at Shelly and blinked, before his eyes drifted over to Dante. "Ah, I... t-thank you...? ...Well, except for the kidnapping part..."

Dante trotted alongside Matsubusa, his face a disapproving scowl as he looked over at Shelly.

If Shelly noticed the look, she didn't let on. Instead she focused on leading Matsubusa through the unfamiliar halls to their destination. "Here we are."

As the admin flicked on the light, Matsubusa was instantly greeted by a massive room, with a large king-sized bed sitting at the exact center. It sat on a circular island connected to the door by a concrete bridge, with the rest of the room completely submerged in an enormous pool. There appeared to be circular lights at the bottom of the water, which rushed in from outlets on the left and exited to the right. A second bridge lead to a small door at the far back wall, where Matsubusa could make out a hint of a bathroom sink.

"...Water," Matsubusa murmured. "Of _course_ there'd be water."

Shelly strode across the bridges. "That's Leviathan's bed. There's controls for it in the bathroom. Don't worry, I'll drain it right now."

Matsubusa watched Shelly as she disappeared in to the far room. After a moment of tense silence, the sound of bubbles drifting upwards came from the water in the canal. The leader of Team Magma jerked before he glanced down to see the water slowly and surely beginning to drop, being sucked in to the vents as the ducts pouring water in to the canal closed with an audible click.

Shelly walked back out with her hands on her hips and inspected the draining water before turning back to Matsubusa. "Any requests what you want to fill the empty pool with?"

Matsubusa slowly moved his eyes from the water to Shelly. "...Concrete's probably a no."

Shelly snorted back a laugh. "Levi wouldn't be happy you destroyed her bed."

"That's what I suspected." Matsubusa grumbled.

Shelly smirked. "I doubt she or Aogiri would complain if we filled it up with pudding for you."

Matsubusa paused at that, and his face turned a deep shade of scarlet. "P-pudding would rot!"

Shelly waved dismissively with a wink and snicker. "It was a joke, Masky. You're so easy when it comes to innuendo involving Aogiri."

Matsubusa trembled as he fidgeted, tugging at the sleeves of his changshan. "I-I knew that! It... it was obviously a joke!"

Shelly couldn't help but laugh. "Glad to see you're doing better."

Matsubusa paused at that, as the comment reminded him of what had happened on the boat. The redhead promptly fell quiet as he tugged on his sleeves again, glancing away. After several moments, he managed to find his voice, soft and heavy. "D-don't... tell anyone about what happened. ...P-please."

Shelly's expression softened as she approached Matsubusa to place her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I may be a vigilante eco-terrorist criminal who loves to drink and fight, but I'll always be a doctor at heart." She held up a fist. "I'll punch out anyone who tries to pry any of my patients' personal information from me."

Matsubusa blinked as he stared at Shelly. "Y-you're a _doctor_!? Th-then what are you doing _here_!?" He immediately realized what he had said, and at least had the decency to look embarrassed. "Ah, that's..."

In spite of the rudeness of the question, or rather _because_ of it, Shelly couldn't stop herself from laughing. "I might bore you with the story sometime if you offer to buy me some drinks or agree to dish out some info about snagging that hotty Homura, but basically politics screwed me out of my life's dream so I said fuck the system and decided to stop playing by the rules."

Matsubusa frowned as he considered what Shelly said. He could only imagine what sort of 'politics' would interfere with her, as he had run to a heavy dose of garbage himself – it seemed he'd never get past being a 'mutt from the pound'. However, before he could voice any of it, he stopped short. "W-wait! You... did you say Homura!?"

Shelly's grin turned predatory as she tapped Matsubusa's shoulder. "Yup. We've been flirting quite a long time, and I'm about ready to take it to the next level. Wanna give me a hand with that?"

"Y-you don't even know his face!" Matsubusa protested before his eyebrows shot up. "W-wait, how do you even know his name!?"

Shelly leaned back, raising her own eyebrows with a smirk. "Oh, I know his face, his name, and a whole lot more than you think, but what I want to know is what turns him on so I can push his buttons and watch him _squirm_ under me."

"Y-you... you what!? You...," Matsubusa's face turned a dark shade of red as he reached up to clasp his hands on the top of his head. "Y-you mean he's been-!?"

Shelly stretched her arms up behind her head and sauntered around Matsubusa towards the door. "You think on that. I'm going to go get something to fill this empty pool. How's the spare balls from the ball pit sound?"

"T-that's _fraternization_! _Fraternization_! He... he absolutely shouldn't have a girlfriend without my permission!" Matsubusa snapped as he pointed at Shelly, then paused. "Ball pit?"

Shelly glanced back over her shoulder at Matsubusa. "Oh yeah, it was Paula's idea. You remember her from that bar you flooded with shit, right?"

Matsubusa paused as he stared at Shelly, his expression blank. "Huh?"

Shelly shook her head ruefully. "Of course not. Anyway, you'd be surprised how many our members _love_ taking breaks in the ball pit."

Matsubusa frowned. "You... actually have a ball pit? This isn't a joke like the pudding?"

Shelly snickered. "If you want to believe it's a joke, that's fine, but that just means you'll be surprised when people come in here with buckets of balls in a bit."

Matsubusa furrowed his brow before he glanced at the mostly empty canal. After a moment's hesitation, he turned back to Shelly. "Ah, so... about this... 'Paula'."

Shelly paused at the door and cocked her head curiously. "Hmm?"

"Is she, ah... A-Aogiri's g-g... g-g-g... gi... gir...," Matsubusa found himself unable to form the word he wanted, stuck on the first syllable. The leader of Team Magma trailed off before his face exploded with crimson again. "F-forget it! I-it doesn't matter... i-it has nothing to do with me!"

Shelly burst out laughing, unable to help herself. "You've really got it bad, don't you? Don't worry, Aogiri never flirted with her seriously."

"I-I don't have _anything_ bad, I just-" Matsubusa paused before his eyes widened. "H-he flirted with her!?"

"Way before you ever set the dock on fire," Shelly said wryly. "Don't worry, once Aogiri surprised us all with the news that he has the hots for you, he stopped joking around about that kind of stuff."

Matsubusa stared at Shelly as his heart fluttered in his chest, before he quickly looked away. He reached up to tug at his collar, fidgeting. "W-well, that's... I-I mean, it hardly matters to me, so it's not like that makes me happy or anything..."

Shelly snickered. "Riiiiiight~!"

Matsubusa scowled, even as his cheeks tinted red. "E-enough. D-don't... don't you have better things to do!?"

"Not unless you need anything doctor-related," Shelly said before heading out the door. "If you need anything else, just grab someone in the hall and bark orders like you usually do."

Matsubusa continued to scowl as Shelly left the room, closing the door behind her. After a moment, he let out a heavy sigh. "_Rude_ woman."

Dante nodded with a sharp bark.

Matsubusa snorted before he turned on his heels, heading over towards the bed. He stopped at the foot and looked at it, wrinkling his nose. It was rather large, but rather sparse. With only two pillows, there was more than enough room for improvement. "That man really only sleeps with two pillows...?"

Dante sniffed at the sheets, his ears canting back.

"Oh well, it'll work for the moment," Matsubusa muttered as he stretched. Kicking off his shoes, he moved forward to flop down on the bed, stretching out. Aogiri had gotten him up far too early; either that, or the panic fit had completely drained what little energy his still-recovering body had gathered. One way or another, the redhead felt _exhausted_ and the bed looked inviting enough for a small nap.

As Matsubusa hit the bed, he immediately picked up a familiar scent. It reminded him of sunshine, sea salt, and a hint of oak and spice. As the redhead paused and took the scent in, he realized it was Aogiri. It was, after all, the same smell Matsubusa had been exposed to in the cabin of the boat. The pirate probably stayed in this very bed before making his way to Kanto, to intercept the redhead. "...That idiot... doing such a thing..."

As Matsubusa felt the warmth and comfort surround him, he found it increasingly difficult to stay awake. Grogginess slipped in, addling his brain and making it increasingly difficult to focus on anything except the softness of the bed around him and the comforting scent of Aogiri. At some point, he felt the bed shift before a sudden warm body pressed up against him. As he felt a fuzzy chin rest in the crook of his neck, it slowly registered that Dante had climbed in to the bed with him.

As the familiar presence of his Pokémon removed all lingering traces of anxiety from the weary leader of Team Magma, his eyes drifted closed and the tension left his body. Within moments, he was gone – fast asleep on Aogiri's bed.


	6. Chapter 6

Dumping bright and colorful plastic balls quietly into an oversized pool was far from the strangest thing Shelly had ever ordered grunts to do, but she ranked it somewhere in her top ten. She stood outside Aogiri's open door, making sure no one got too rowdy or that watchful Dante got too agitated by so many people coming in and out. She wasn't worried about being attacked, especially not with Goliath beside her, but Ushio still cringed whenever someone brought up the head butt the Houndoom dealt out earlier.

Matsubusa didn't seem to notice, deeply asleep on Aogiri's bed. With the grunts taking care not to make too much noise, the redhead continued to sleep peacefully as Team Aqua did their work around him.

Aogiri had to do a double-take when he saw the work going on in his room. After a moment or two, he snapped out of staring and tapped Shelly on the shoulder. "What's going on?" he whispered.

Shelly's expression turned deadpan as she looked unblinkingly into Aogiri's eyes. "Doctor-patient confidentiality."

Goliath nodded, his expression sage-like.

Aogiri took another look at the plastic balls and blinked slowly before he turned back to Shelly. "Seriously?"

Shelly nodded sharply, folding her arms in front of her. "If you want to know more, ask Masky when he wakes up."

Aogiri scratched his scalp beneath his scarf. "I can't _wait_ to hear the medicinal value of turning Levi's bed into a giant ball pit."

Leviathan looked at the canal as it was filled with colorful balls, then turned to Aogiri and flashed him a grin. Her long tail wagged behind her, forcing the various grunts around them to dodge it as they continued their work.

Aogiri snickered at the expression. "At least you're being a good sport about it."

* * *

The office of police captain Junsar was immaculate, save for the stacks of paperwork neatly sorted on her desk. The woman in question sat at her desk, her hard brown eyes rarely straying from the forms she filled out in front of her to regard the entrance of the visitor who barged in without warning and simply would not leave. "I don't know what more you expect me to do in this matter."

"I expect you to do a bit more than tell me that you can't do anything!" Homura snapped as he made a sweeping gesture, refusing to sit in either of the chairs in front of her desk.

Junsar swept an errant strand of teal colored hair behind her ear where it had started going gray. The lines on her face were severe as her eyes bore into Homura. "Once someone is outside of Kanto, they are outside my jurisdiction. I'm doing what I can to work with the coastguard on this matter, and the local authorities of Hoenn, but in international waters there are countless places for a team to hide indefinitely."

"You don't even know if they've _left_ Kanto waters!" Homura retorted, hotly. "Have you even _looked_!?"

Junsar exhaled deeply before reorganizing the papers that were disturbed by her breath. "Of course we have. You severely underestimate how big the ocean is, Mister... Homura was it?"

"Without ever launching a single boat?" Homura asked, his tone icy.

"We've launched helicopters to search from the air," Junsar said with an edge to her voice. "I understand that you're worried, but you coming down here to disturb my officers and interrupt my work is only going to slow us down. Just go home and try and relax. We'll call you if there are any updates to Mr. Kazan's status."

"Which means you'd _never_ contact me," Homura retorted as he remained firmly in place. "It's fairly obvious that you're not particularly _concerned_ about Mr. Kazan or his _status_."

A low rumble of displeasure escaped Junsar as her expression shifted from cold to angry. "If you're so quick to point fingers, then maybe you should consider how _reckless_ Mr. Kazan was to taunt Team Aqua then get on a _boat_. If you even glanced at the internet, you'd know he's a laughingstock for such idiotic behavior! It's almost as though he _wanted_ them to kidnap him."

Outrage flooded Homura's face before he clenched his jaw. "He got on a boat because _you_ failed to protect him _three times_! What the hell were you all doing when Team Aqua was running amok, attacking _two hotels_ and a goddamn _airport_!? He got on a boat because he felt he had _no other choice_ when _you_ couldn't do a _damn thing_ about a _terrorist group_ running around the city like they _owned_ it!"

Junsar was unfazed by the outburst. "Calm yourself. Yelling isn't going to bring Mr. Kazan back any sooner."

"And _neither_ will you _blaming him_ for what happened!" Homura snapped as he slammed his hands on the desk. "Is that why you're not even trying!? Because he called you out on national television!?"

Junsar finished up one of the papers, moving it to one of the stacks before taking another. "What do you expect us to do – pull every officer I have off their cases to look for a spoiled millionaire that got in way over his head? I have more dire investigations to focus on, like investigating Team Magma's involvement in the massacre at Shimajio estate."

"S-spoiled-!?" Homura sputtered before he gripped the edge of the desk. "You're more concerned about a _dead man_ than a _live one_!?"

Junsar slammed her hands against the desk and glared hard into Homura's eyes. "It wasn't one man, it was _sixteen_! Not to mention the other victims of that _real_ terrorist group running amok! Team Aqua might be a pain in my ass, but the worst they've ever done is hijack a boat for shits and giggles and beat up _real_ criminals before tossing them at the police to deal with!"

Homura didn't flinch in the slightest, meeting Junsar's glare with a fiery one of his own. "Sixteen _corpses_ that are _beyond_ your help. You are saying that one man's _life_ is worth _less_ than a pile of _corpses_."

Junsar rubbed at the creases on her forehead as she let out an impatient breath. "Look, we're doing all we can for Mr. Kazan. Be thankful it was Team Aqua who was responsible and not Team Magma. Chances are they'll get their kicks with him then send him back alive even before we find him. They're just a bunch of clowns that think they can ignore the law when it suits them, not murderers or mercenaries. Probably some spoiled brats with too much time and money trying to make a statement about the environment or something."

Homura's eyes narrowed, his cheek twitching. His knuckles had turned white as his jaw clenched to the point that his teeth hurt. It took every fiber of his being not to flip the table and all of Junsar's work back on her, and he slowly stepped back away from the desk to prevent himself from doing just that. "...In other words, you are useless to me."

Without even waiting for a response, Homura turned on his heels and stormed to the door of the office.

"Finally," Junsar muttered to herself before she returned her focus to whittling down the mountain of paperwork.

Homura stopped in the doorway and glanced over his shoulder at Junsar. There were so many words he wanted to say, but he knew he couldn't say any of them. But one thing was completely clear to him – the police, as always, were _useless_. This was why Team Magma existed in the first place, this was why they had to do the things that they did. It was because of people like Junsar and her co-workers that Team Magma was necessary.

And once again, it was up to Team Magma to deal with the situation.

With grim determination, Homura opened the door and stepped out before he slammed it hard enough that the glass cracked in a spray of debris. Despite the other officers turning to stare at him, Homura swiftly strode his way out of the police station, leaving behind shattered glass and gawking bystanders.

* * *

Matsubusa was stretched out on his back, his breathing light and even as he enjoyed the comfort of the bed beneath him. Several hours had passed, unbeknownst to him, as his body recovered from the abuse it had been put through. With Dante by his side, Matsubusa had absolutely no intention of waking up any time soon.

However, it seemed that someone else had _different_ plans.

Something lightly tapped Matsubusa's cheek. He barely noticed at first until the sensation was repeated. He tried to brush whatever it was aside, but then something tapped against his fingers. As he grew more awake, he realized that it was something light and plastic that bounced off of him. When he opened his eyes, he slammed them shut again with an instinctive yelp as a blue ball bounced off his nose and joined the others scattered on the sheets.

"Oh good, you're awake!" Aogiri said cheerfully, his arms full of colorful balls.

Matsubusa grimaced before he sat up, covering his nose. "You... are you throwing things at me!?" The redhead paused before he looked down at the balls, blinking. "...Balls?"

Aogiri flashed a wide grin. "I was hoping you could tell me. My crew brought in a buttload of them for you." He then gestured to the giant pool that was now filled almost to the brim with a rainbow of plastic balls.

Matsubusa glanced down to the pool, and in particular the sea of bouncy balls that replaced the water that had been there previously. "...Ah right. She... did."

Aogiri bounced a green ball off Matsubusa's hair. "So? You gonna tell me the story behind this or what?"

Matsubusa paused before he reached up to brush back his hair, his eyes drifting away to the other side of the room. He saw Leviathan resting atop the mountain of balls, seemingly quite content with them. The Feraligatr flashed him a toothy grin as she 'swam' through the plastic balls as if they were water. "...A-anyway, I doubt she put them in here to throw them at me."

Aogiri tossed another ball at Matsubusa, which bounced off the other man's chest. "You know, you can just say you wanted to play in a giant ball pit. I won't judge."

Dante let out a displeased rumble as he stretched out and eyed Aogiri. When the next ball came, he caught it easily, his gaze smug. However, the feeling of such a pliable ball in his mouth soon got his tail wagging and he turned to Matsubusa with pleading eyes.

Matsubusa glanced at his Pokémon, before a soft smile appeared on his face. "...Well, I'm sure Dante'd enjoy it."

Dante lightly nudged Matsubusa with the ball before he began hopping anxiously around, his tail generating a small breeze due to how fast it wagged.

Aogiri laughed. "Looks like it!"

Matsubusa moved to the side of the bed before he stood up and ventured over to the side of the island, looking down at the colorful balls. "...What exactly are you... expecting me to do, anyway?"

"I think Dante wants to play fetch," Aogiri said slyly.

Matsubusa paused and glanced over at the Houndoom before he picked up a handful of the plastic balls. Looking at a red one that he held in his hand, he then lifted it up and tossed it across the room – in to the other pile of balls.

In an instant, Dante launched himself off the bed and dove into the pool, sending balls flying in every direction, many bouncing off Leviathan's tough hide.

Matsubusa grinned slyly, watching as his Pokémon disappeared in to the sea of colorful plastic.

A pair of strong arms slipped around Matsubusa's middle and pulled him back. He squeaked in surprise and suddenly found himself with his back pressed flush against Aogiri's muscular chest, on top of the sea of bouncy balls.

"I can't tell you how happy I am to see that smile," Aogiri whispered, his breath ticklishly skirting across the back of Matsubusa's ear.

Matsubusa's heart skipped a beat in his chest before he glanced over his shoulder at Aogiri. He hoped his cheeks didn't look as hot as they _felt_. "...W-why?"

Aogiri rested his chin on Matsubusa's shoulder. "Because I was hoping that if we got to spend time together outside of missions and trying to one-up each other, we might be able to relax and just plain have _fun_ together."

Matsubusa looked back over to the other side of the room, where he could see Dante still rooting around in the squeaking mass of plastic toys. He had to admit that sitting with Aogiri like this was rather _pleasant_, not that he'd say it out loud. The pirate was comfortable enough as a mattress, at any rate. "Is... is that so."

"Mmm hmm...," Aogiri murmured. "Since you don't want to answer me about the ball pit, I'm going to take a stab in the dark and guess the answer will probably take away that smile of yours, so how about we just play in it with our Pokémon after we've had some chow?"

Matsubusa went quiet at that. He imagined it would've been fairly obvious to Aogiri that Matsubusa had refused to answer his question, particularly since he had asked it point blank and got no answer. He had been prepared for Aogiri to press it, but actually felt fairly relieved that the pirate did little more than point out his awareness of the non-answer before moving on. "...What exactly do you _do_ in a ball pit?"

"Whatever you want," Aogiri said with a shrug. "Jump in it, throw balls around, play tag or whatever. Just have fun with it, you know?"

Matsubusa glanced over to the other side of the room, where he could see the balls occasionally move – the only indication that Dante was in the room. "...Lose my Pokémon in it."

Aogiri burst out laughing. "Don't worry, Levi can fish him out if he gets stuck on the bottom."

Leviathan crawled over the top of the balls to where theoretically Dante was, then lifted her head to peer across the island at Aogiri. She flashed her teeth in a smile, wiggling her brow.

Matsubusa looked at the Feraligatr, then back at Aogiri. He was still very much aware that he was leaning back against the pirate's chest, as evidenced by the light blush on his face. "...Well, I... suppose... lounging about is... good too..."

"True enough," Aogiri said before playing with a strand of Matsubusa's hair. "I wouldn't complain if you just wanted to stay like this with me for the rest of the day."

Matsubusa's heartbeat quickened in his chest and he tore his eyes away to focus on the far wall. "...I'm... I'm sure you'd eventually get bored of me... l-lying on you."

Aogiri breathed in the scent of Matsubusa's hair, catching notes of the shampoo the redhead used. "Nope. Don't see that happening."

Matsubusa shivered slightly, as the breath tickled his skin. "...Is... is that so..."

"Mmm hmm..." Aogiri pulled Matsubusa a little closer, reveling in the other man's warmth. "You've got no idea how badly I've been wanting to hold you in my arms like this."

Matsubusa instinctively reached up to grasp at Aogiri's arms, holding on to them tightly. "...Why?"

Aogiri let out a wry chuckle. "You're not used to people liking you because of your charming personality, I take it?"

Matsubusa paused at that before he huffed and looked away. "...I'm very much aware that people... have difficulty interacting with me. That's _their_ problem, not mine."

"Yup," Aogiri said, his voice almost sing-song. "Their loss. I get you allllll to myself~!"

Matsubusa furrowed his brow, even as his cheeks tinted lightly. "...I can't ever tell if you're making fun of me or not."

Aogiri smiled as he noticed the blush. "I've got a policy of being honest, and when I say I love the way you act and react, I absolutely mean it."

"Why... would you... l-l-lo-_like_ that?" Matsubusa asked, his voice dropping to barely a whisper.

Aogiri tilted his head back and let out a hum as he considered his answer. "Well, there's the challenge of it, first of all. Trying to find out what buttons to press to make you notice me was so damn fun. Same with matching wits with you to see who could one-up the other better."

Matsubusa lifted his head and turned to glance at Aogiri out of the corner of his eyes. "...So I was a 'challenge'?"

Aogiri fought back the urge to laugh as he caught the slight edge in Matsubusa's voice. "That's just the first thing that got me interested in you. There's also that attitude of yours, the way you act when you're being badass or silly... the way you get so flustered when I flirt with you... It's all so appealing."

Matsubusa's eyes widened slightly before he quickly looked away again, his face turning red. "T-that... that doesn't make any sense!"

Aogiri nuzzled the nape of Matsubusa's neck. "And then there's the fact that you enjoy a good cuddle session as much as I do."

Matsubusa gasped at the action and shivered, tightening his grip on Aogiri. "I-it's not... c-c-c-cuddling!"

Aogiri snickered, the sound ticklish against Matsubusa's skin. "What do you call it then?"

"I-I don't know, b-b-but not _cuddling_!" Matsubusa retorted, his breathing rough.

"Snuggling?" Aogiri teased.

"N-not that, either!" Matsubusa snapped, his face deep red.

"Spooning?" Aogiri offered.

Matsubusa let out a squeak before he rolled over to glare at Aogiri, his blush having spread down to his neck. "B-bastard! You... y-you bastard!"

Aogiri smiled in satisfaction of just how flushed he made Matsubusa. "Okay, we'll just settle for calling it the good old hug!"

Matsubusa let out a noise of frustration as he scowled at Aogiri, the effect severely hindered by his deep blush. "Don't call it anything at all!"

"Oh, I get ya," Aogiri said with a wink. "Just shut up and enjoy having you in my arms, right? Not a problem!"

Matsubusa huffed as he frowned at the pirate. "You're insufferable."

Aogiri snickered before brushing his cheek against Matsubusa's. "Good thing then that you're not suffering like this, huh?"

Matsubusa felt his heart skip a beat at the touch, a slight tremor going through his body. "T-that's..."

"Hate to ruin your fun," a female voice came from the doorway, causing Matsubusa to tense with a startled squeak. He quickly glanced over his shoulder to see Izumi leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed. "But we've got whalers."

A groan escaped Aogiri before he straightened up. "Damn it! How many times do we gotta kick their asses before they get the message?"

"A few more, apparently," Izumi said, with a sly grin.

"W-wait, what?" Matsubusa stammered, his face red as he glanced between Aogiri and Izumi. "Whalers!? Where!?"

Aogiri grumbled as he regretfully eased Matsubusa onto the bed beside him and offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Masky, but Team Aqua has some business to take care of. We'll continue this once I'm finished burying my boot up some evil asses."

Matsubusa stared at Aogiri as he found himself on the bed once more. "Y-you're... leaving?"

Aogiri took Matsubusa's hand in his and pressed his lips against the back of it. "Not for long if I can help it."

Matsubusa's fingers curled as his heart skipped another beat, and he quickly looked away. "...I-idiot."

A thoughtful hum thrummed through Aogiri as he looked at Matsubusa's flushed face. "Hey, wanna come with? We'll even get you a mask so no one will know it's you kicking their poaching asses."

Matsubusa paused at that, his body stiffening. "...On a boat?"

"How else?" Aogiri asked slyly. "If you ask nice and don't try to escape again, I'll even let you steer it for a little while."

"_No_," Matsubusa said as he jerked his hand back, holding it against his chest. "_No_ boats."

Aogiri blinked, startled by the reaction, but then smiled with sympathy. "Oh, I get it. You're still not recovered and being on a boat makes you queasy, right?"

Matsubusa hesitated before he glanced away. "S-something like that." It was certainly a better excuse than having to admit to his issues with water. He could only imagine the mocking Aogiri would do if he knew. Worse, the pirate would use it against him.

Aogiri bent down to kiss the top of Matsubusa's head. "That's fine. Just relax here and enjoy your vacation."

Matsubusa trembled slightly, his face exploding with crimson. "I-if you're going to go, t-t-then _go_."

Aogiri chuckled at the intensity of Matsubusa's blush and winked. "If you think those kisses were hot, then just wait until I get back."

Matsubusa's eyes widened and he whipped about to stare at Aogiri, his blush spreading across his face. "S-s-s-shut up!"

With a jaunty wave and a laugh, Aogiri left with Izumi. As the pirate left, Leviathan emerged from the ball pit, Dante in tow. She set the Houndoom down on the island before she trotted after her trainer, her entire body swaying as she went.

Dante shook a little after emerging from the pool, as though it had been full of water instead of plastic, and turned to Matsubusa with a mouth full of colorful balls.

Matsubusa looked to his Pokémon and blinked before he let out an awkward chuckle. "I suppose ball pits have their uses. Let's just hope Courtney never gets wind of this, or she'd want one installed at the office."

Dante's eyes widened a bit as his tail began to wag harder.

Matsubusa hesitated as he immediately regretted his words. "...Well, I... suppose a _small_ one couldn't hurt."

Dante did an impressive back flip, spitting the balls into the air in a playful display before he barked happily.

Matsubusa couldn't help but smile at his Pokémon. "But _you're_ the one that has to convince _Homura_." The redhead paused at that before he frowned. "...Speaking of Homura..." Matsubusa glanced over to the entrance, in particular at the slightly ajar door. "They didn't even lock me in. What are they thinking?"

Before Matsubusa could even consider testing the boundaries of his confinement, a knock on the door made him jerk.

Matsubusa felt his heart racing in his chest, becoming flustered despite not having actually done anything – yet. "Y-you're back _already_!?"

When the door opened, a pleasant aroma of freshly cooked food wafted through the air as Matt rolled in a serving cart, his Blastoise walking not far behind him. He was briefly startled by the question, almost embarrassed. "Oh, you thought I was Aogiri? Sorry. It's just me."

Matsubusa paused at that, then had the good grace to look embarrassed. "I-oh. Ah. Y-yes."

Matt wheeled the cart over to the bed. "No one told me what you wanted to eat, and since you're probably still recovering from being sick, I brought a wide variety of things for you to try. Anything you don't want will be given to Pokémon, so don't worry about anything going to waste."

Matsubusa stared at Matt for a moment before the delicious smell of food drew him closer to the admin – and his cart of food. "This is... for me?"

Matt nodded and moved the curtain on the side of the cart aside to reveal another row of dishes. "There's some dishes down here for Dante. I figured I'd make something our fire and dark types prefer and hoped he'd like something of it."

Dante hopped off the bed and eyed the cart, suspicious, even as he followed the delicious scent to its source.

Matsubusa looked over the food as he sat on the bed, close to the cart. He hesitated a moment before he reached up to fidget with the collar of his changshan. "T-t... thank you."

Matt's cheeks pinked as he flashed Matsubusa an embarrassed smile. "It's no problem. You're a guest here, not a prisoner really." His mouth twisted a little. "W-well, I mean, I know we kidnapped you and all that, but Aogiri doesn't have anything bad planned for you, I promise. He's not that type of guy."

Matsubusa tugged at his collar. "...What... _does_ he have planned?"

Matt rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat as his eyes drifted to the ceiling. "Well, um... ahh... how do I put this...?" He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I guess you could say this is his way of trying to be romantic and woo you?"

Matsubusa blinked as he stared at Matt, his expression blank.

Matt grimaced at the look of incomprehension. "Okay, I guess phrasing it like that when talking about Aogiri feels weird even to me too. The guy's got a crush on you and is trying to win you over."

Matsubusa continued to stare at Matt for several moments before realization dawned on him, and his face turned a deep shade of red. "W-what!? _Me_!?"

Matt bit back a groan. "Yes you! Who else could it be?"

"I-I... I don't know!" Matsubusa sputtered, flustered as he tugged harshly at his collar. "S-someone else!? He's never even seen my face! ...Until now!"

Matt shrugged. "I don't think it matters what you look like to him at all."

Matsubusa opened his mouth before he closed it with a _click_, unable to really reply. The words Matt spoke, while he understood them, he also didn't understand them _at all_. After several moments of awkward silence, he furrowed his brow. "I... I see."

"You ever hear what's inside that counts?" Matt asked. "It's not just Aogiri either – Izumi and Shelly have it bad for those two admins of yours... Homura and Tabitha I think their names are?"

Matsubusa's eyebrows shot straight up as he got to the feet. "T-Tabitha, too!?"

"Yeah," Matt said awkwardly. "I'm surprised you're surprised considering Izumi keeps leaving lip prints on his mask lately, and sometimes those two seem to disappear off on their own together during all the fighting and we never really hear about what goes on from her..."

"I-insubordination!" Matsubusa thundered as he clenched his fists. "_Insubordination_! They never got my approval for such... such _shenanigans_!"

"So you suspect they secretly got together already too?" Matt asked.

"N-no! Absolutely not!" Matsubusa snapped, furiously. "T-there are rules! There are policies! Y-you can't just _hide_ things from me!"

"Well, you won't have to worry about that from Aogiri," Matt said. "He's pretty straightforward about what he wants if you haven't noticed by now."

Matsubusa stopped at that, his eyes widening. He then quickly looked away, reaching up to tug at his collar again. "I... I wasn't worried! I... it's no concern of mine!"

Matt's expression skewed up in confusion. "Really? It looked to me like you're as in to him as he is to you."

Matsubusa bristled, his blush bright on his face. "A-anyway! Why are _you_ here?! W-why aren't you off chasing whalers!?"

Matt pointed at the cart. "I was cooking your food, which is getting cold by the way."

Matsubusa paused at that before he helped and quickly moved to grab the food off the cart. "S-s-stop distracting me, then!"

"Sorry," Matt said. "Kappa and me can leave you two alone if you want." He jerked a thumb towards the door. "There's couple people posted outside in case you need anything and Aogiri pretty much told us all to give you whatever you want, so go nuts."

Matsubusa paused at that and looked up, staring at Matt. "He... he did?"

Matt nodded. "Like I said, Aogiri doesn't have anything bad planned for you. This whole thing is just his own way of trying to get some time alone with you. He told me to try and wow you with my best dishes for example." He eyed the dishes in Matsubusa's hands significantly. "Speaking of which..."

Matsubusa looked down at the food, then looked rather sheepish before he proceeded to eat the food laid out for him. As the redhead scooped up some of the food with a spoon and put it in his mouth, his eyes widened drastically as his taste buds were assaulted by the delicious food. "...O-oh."

"So?" Matt asked eagerly, though his confident grin reflected that he already knew what the answer would be.

Matsubusa blinked slowly, momentarily speechless as he fully processed the food in his mouth. When he noticed Matt staring at him, his blush returned once more to loudly broadcast his embarrassment. "I... it's very good. I... I wasn't expecting... that-" The redhead trailed off, his words registering in his ears, before his embarrassment turned to mortification. "I-I mean-!"

Matt snickered. "You were expecting us to live off beer and anything made in a microwave, right?" He slapped his belly, which jiggled a little. "This stomach of mine could never accept anything so half-assed."

Matsubusa looked down at his food. "F-first a doctor and now a cook... what's next – Aogiri telling me he's a _gym leader_?"

"Nah, he turned all those offers down," Matt said. "We all had to laugh over it too, since if Aogiri says he's turning down being Champion of Hoenn because he didn't want to be tied down, why would he do it to be a gym leader?"

Matsubusa froze as he stared at Matt. His spoon fell from his hand, landing on the plate with a loud clatter as the redhead gaped at the admin in stunned silence.

Matt blinked, his mirth disrupted by confusion. "What? Is it really so surprising after he won almost a hundred tournaments?"

Matsubusa struggled to find his voice, blurting out the first thing that came to mind. "T-tournaments!?"

"You didn't know?" Matt asked.

"N-no! No, I didn't _know_!" Matsubusa said. "I-it was supposed to be an _exaggeration_!"

Matt rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh. I guess we all just assumed you would've figured out who Aogiri was by now and did a background check on him."

Matsubusa paused at that, his expression going blank.

Matt shifted in place. "Aogiri was convinced since you kept seeing his face up close and personal all the time, you'd figure out right away. He was pretty famous during his trainer days."

Matsubusa's face twisted in to a grimace, his blush burning ever brighter. He hadn't even _thought_ of doing such a thing, not even for a moment. "I..."

"So...," Matt said slowly. "I'm guessing you and your team never even _tried_ to find out who any of us are?"

"I... I'm sure Homura did!" Matsubusa sputtered. He doubted Homura'd ever let such a thing go, and would've extensively researched Team Aqua – even if it had been impossible. "A-and Kagari." Given that Kagari was in charge of espionage and infiltration, it would only make sense that she'd do research on her own as well. The redhead paused and furrowed his brow. "...A-and Courtney?" The deadpan Tech Master would've used the internet and various media sources to at least give a cursory look. After a moment's hesitation, Matsubusa grimaced again. "...And maybe Tabitha...?" As the head of security, it wouldn't surprise the redhead if Tabitha had taken it upon himself to research or go to his fellow admins for the results of _their_ research. In the end, it left only Matsubusa as the one who hadn't even _considered_ the need to do such work – and the grimace on his face made it abundantly clear that he was aware of it.

Matt covered his mouth, but he couldn't hold back the snort of laughter that escaped him.

Matsubusa bristled as he scowled. "S-shut up! I... I have other things to worry about! T-that's why I have _admins_ – s-so they can take care of this sort of thing _for_ me!"

"Man, Aogiri is gonna be disappointed," Matt snickered. "See, he's been going _nuts_ trying to figure out who you are since he figured you already knew who _he_ is and figured you were too shy to come to him and were waiting for him to come to you."

Matsubusa quivered, clenching his fists and shaking them at Matt. "S-shut up, shut up, _shut up_! I... I am not _shy_! I... I...!"

Matt coughed into his hand as he tried to get his laughter under control. "Hey, it's fine. If you're not interested in Aogiri that way, just make sure to let him know. He'll be fine with being at least friends with you."

"I didn't say that!" Matsubusa protested, before he realized what he said. The redhead quivered before he grit his teeth. "I-I didn't say anything! Nothing! Are you going to let me eat in peace!?"

"Sorry," Matt said. "I was just trying to make you feel more comfortable considering..."

Matsubusa paused at that, blinking, before he fidgeted and looked away. "...O-oh."

"Just..." Matt faltered for a moment before rubbing his neck again. "Don't feel obligated or anything. Aogiri wouldn't want that. If you want to give romance a chance, that's great, but if not, Aogiri isn't going to come down on you for it. Same for anything to do with sex. He cares a lot about you and he's trying very hard to impress you."

Matsubusa glanced back at Matt, his face nearly as red as his hair. He was getting a rather strong sense of déjà vu, and images of Courtney and the talk she had given him before played through his mind. "...I'll... I'll keep that in mind."

Matt backed up towards the door. "Okay, well, we'll leave you two to eat. Remember, just ask the two outside if you need anything and just think of this as a vacation you got dragged on."

Matsubusa reclaimed his spoon before using it to scoop up more of the food, using it as an excuse to not say anything else and risk shoving his foot any deeper in his mouth. Instead, he simply nodded.

The awkwardness hung in the air like a tangible thing, even after Matt and Kappa left. Dante looked up at Matsubusa, having long since finished his breakfast, then rested his chin upon his trainer's lap.

Matsubusa glanced down at his Pokémon before he shifted his hand to rest it atop the Houndoom's head. "...I'm so stupid."

Dante cocked his head inquisitively, his ears tilting upward.

"What am I even doing?" Matsubusa murmured before he closed his eyes. "Shouldn't I be escaping by now...?"

Dante nuzzled Matsubusa's hand.

Matsubusa spent the next several minutes in silence, alternating between eating the rest of the food Matt had brought for him and wallowing in self-depreciation. Many long minutes passed until everything was finally gone and, with heavy steps, Matsubusa pushed the cart full of dirty dishes towards the door.

As the redhead drew closer, the sound of talking caught Matsubusa's attention. At first he thought it might be Matt or even Aogiri returning, but he soon realized that the voices were unfamiliar.

"Ugh, I just can't see what Aogiri sees in that _nerd_."

"I know, right?" a second voice scoffed. "I was listening earlier, and he was throwing insults at Aogiri and Aogiri was just _taking it_. That's messed up!"

Matsubusa felt a surge of anger, bristling. He abandoned the cart to the side and moved quietly to press himself up against the wall. He craned his head to peer through the cracks in to the hallway, attempting to catch a glimpse of the gossipers.

Two people stood not far from the doors. Matsubusa failed to recognize either of them, but that was hardly surprising as to him, all the Team Aqua grunts seemed to blend together into a band of rowdy jocks and jokers.

"You're kidding," the grunt with the exposed midriff said. "Like what?"

"Like bastard and shit like that," said the other grunt who sported quite a number of piercings.

"Ugh!" the first grunt gagged, looking disgusted. "Like he's one to talk!"

Matsubusa's cheek twitched. Something about his conversations with Aogiri being overheard bothered him just as much as hearing them talk about _him_. What right did they have to snoop in on his private conversations with Aogiri? Neither their presence nor their input was desired!

"I don't know what Aogiri sees in that dweeb," the second grunt said. "I mean, everyone already here is _way_ hotter than that scrawny pale geek."

The grunt in the midriff let out a wistful sigh. "If Aogiri flirted with me, I wouldn't wait to get a bedroom, I'd do him in the nearest closet!"

The second grunt let out a snorting laugh. "Right, like Aogiri would flirt with you when he could have _me_."

"You wish," the first grunt said.

Matsubusa clenched his fists as his jaw ground his teeth tightly together. He had to strongly fight back the urge to storm out and confront the two grunts, and instead held his fists against his chest to steady himself. More importantly, he wasn't entirely certain _why_ he was angry. Their insults seemed the most reasonable explanation, and yet he couldn't deny that hearing them talk about Aogiri in such a way filled him with no small amount of anger too. Admittedly, he expected nothing less from the pirate captain. With how free Aogiri seemed to be with his affections, enough so that he saw no problem with showering them on an _enemy_, then it stood to reason that Aogiri had _many_ people throwing themselves at his feet – and in his bed.

When the pierced grunt looked towards Aogiri's bedroom, Matsubusa froze. "Ugh. I still can't get over it. What's with his obsession with that nerd anyway? I just don't get what's so hot about him that deserves all this attention and wasting everyone's time bending over backwards for his pale ass."

The grunt with the exposed midriff shrugged. "Maybe he gives great head?"

The second grunt grimaced. "I can't see how Aogiri'd stay hard with a face like _that_ near his dick."

Matsubusa jerked, his face turning solid red as his eyes widened. He clasped his hands over his mouth to keep himself from blurting out the protest bubbling up inside him.

"Maybe it's just a big power trip," the first grunt suggested. "We spanked his ass so hard this time, everyone's laughing at him."

"Right, so why is Aogiri so hot to plow his ass?" the second grunt asked.

"You've obviously never had good hate sex," the first grunt said. "It can be _amazing_! Especially later when you totally remind them you fucked. They'll _never_ live it down!"

The pierced grunt gagged. "Even hate sex has to have _standards_."

Matsubusa quivered as he bared his teeth. Despite the redness of his face, his eyes blazed with _rage_. His fingers clenched and unclenched, as he visualized not only throttling the two mouthy grunts but Aogiri himself. What they were saying made sense, it was the _only_ thing had made sense. Just like Aogiri used the pictures and video to taunt him, the pirate wanted one more trophy to lord over him – his body. He probably thought it'd have more meaning to trick Matsubusa in to thinking he wanted it, only to reveal in the end that he had fallen for the ploy _hook, line, and sinker_.

If Aogiri thought Matsubusa would spread his legs so easily, he was in for a _surprise_.

"The worst part is we've got to be on standby in case this spoiled asshole wants anything," the pierced grunt grumbled. "I can't believe the ball pit has to be shut down until we can get more balls for it just because that asshole didn't want to swim with the 'riffraff'."

"Ugh, I know," the other grunt groaned with a roll of the eyes. "I'll bet he'll start ordering us around like he _owns_ us. I hope Aogiri fucks him and dumps him quick so we won't have to put up with him long."

Matsubusa's body moved without thinking, rage fueling his veins. He threw open the door and was out in the hallway in a moment's notice, startling both of the grunts. Neither had a chance to do much more than gawk at him before Matsubusa threw his fist out, punching the closest grunt in the face – _hard_. The redhead felt a swelling of satisfaction as the grunt's nose broke under his knuckles, but it wasn't enough to quell him.

Sweeping about, he struck the other grunt solidly in the jaw with the heel of his foot, sending the grunt in to the wall. The grunt hit the wall like a ragdoll before collapsing to the floor, joining the other one in a crumbled heap. The redhead stood quivering, glaring down at the grunts as he clenched his fists. "_Who's the fuck toy now_!?"

Dante was at Matsubusa's side in an instant, his playful mood gone as he surveyed the grunts with a critical eye. He nodded in approval after noting the grunts wouldn't be getting up and time soon, then dutifully looked to his trainer for commands.

Matsubusa was still trembling as he stood in place, glaring at the two grunts. He ground his teeth for a moment, visualizing Aogiri in a similar state, before he turned to Dante. "...We're _leaving_!"

Dante nodded sharply and followed Matsubusa closely as they raced through the halls of Team Aqua's base.


	7. Chapter 7

Matt looked up from his work at putting his cooking utensils in order to check out the time before glancing at Kappa. "So... I guess we should go check to see if Masky is actually behaving in Aogiri's room, or if he's trying to blow up the island."

Kappa snorted through his nose as he sat by the doorway, and gave a small nod.

Despite his words, Matt took another moment to scrub an already immaculately shiny ladle. "Yup. Just me and you and the rest of my Pokémon. Babysitting Masky. Alone."

As the seconds ticked on, Matt set the ladle down on the dish towel with a groan. "Damn it." Sighing, he forced himself to leave his kitchen. "I just got this place the way I like it too."

Kappa rumbled in response, tilting his head to the side, before he lumbered after his trainer.

"Of all times to lose out on rock-paper-scissors," Matt muttered under his breath.

Kappa reached over to pat Matt on the head, surprisingly gentle despite his thick, muscular hand.

Matt sighed and allowed his Pokémon to offer him some comfort. "If this blows up in my face, I swear I am giving Aogiri the biggest _I told you so_ in the history of Hoenn."

The Blastoise nodded his head in agreement as he grumbled. He turned his attention back down the hallway and stopped short, his eyes widening as they focused on two figures sprawled out across the floor – the grunts who had been guarding Aogiri's door.

Matt stared at the grunts, who groaned in pain and nursed their wounds, then let out a loud curse. "I knew it!" The admin immediately started jogging to the security room, his Pokémon right on his heels. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!"

* * *

Matsubusa was equal parts relieved and disgusted at how poorly defended Team Aqua's base was. Aside from the two grunts guarding his room, he didn't see hide nor hair of another sentry. Instead, everyone was goofing off, either in their quarters or in the cafeteria. It made sneaking through the hallways far easier than they had any business being. If any of the grunts had worked for Matsubusa, the lot would have undergone severe retraining and disciplinary actions.

And yet, it almost felt par for the course when it came to Team Aqua.

"I can't tell if they're severely underestimating me or if they just don't _care_." Matsubusa grumbled as he ventured down the hallway, deeper in to the base.

Dante let out a quiet, but distinctly derisive snort.

As Matsubusa continued onward, Team Aqua's presence continued to decrease until the redhead no longer felt like he had to be discreet. While it was possible that there _were_ no exits beyond the dock, feeling so secure in their possession of him would prove to be their downfall. Even an immediate escape didn't mean he _couldn't_ escape – it just meant it would take time.

And soon enough, he found the method of his escape – Team Aqua's communication center.

The room was large and reminded him of Courtney's own technology center, though the gear wasn't nearly so sophisticated. He imagined most was pillaged off of boats that Team Aqua had hijacked, and certainly functioned well enough for _their_ purposes. And as such, he was fairly confident it would function for _his_ purposes as well.

Matsubusa approached the main console, and the monitors burst to life, displaying a wide variety of screens with everything from maps and radar to the latest news channels. "...They don't even have it password protected. What a bunch of amateurs."

"-number of days and still no sign of Matsubusa Kazan or Team Aqua," a news reporter droned on.

Matsubusa jerked and looked up sharply, his eyes darting across the monitor until they focused on the source of the report. He didn't recognize the woman on the screen, which told him the broadcast must have come from outside Hoenn – more than likely Kanto. The idea that people outside of Hoenn were talking about him made him bristle, especially when his name was said at the same time as 'Team Aqua'.

"-I'm honestly surprised that the idiot hasn't been gutted and left on a dock for everyone to see, or tied to their mast and paraded around, or keelhauled, or whatever it is that pirates do," a snide voice came from another monitor, drawing Matsubusa's eyes to it. It looked like some sort of talk show, with a group of individuals known for their opinions and for loudly sharing said opinions. The woman in question was dressed quite provocatively, in bright colors and her hair striped in orange and pink. "At the very least, they can take pictures and upload it so everyone else can have a good laugh."

A co-host in green laughed politely, showing too many teeth. "I doubt murder is something for a fun loving terrorist group to laugh over. But I know I certainly found that group of poachers drenched in Pokémon manure and strung out over the docks to be a riot!"

"Maybe they'll do something equally 'creative' to Mr. Kazan," another co-host, a male decked out in purple, said with a smirk. "Something equally fitting for someone who taunted a criminal organization on live television. Hashtag piratebait."

The man in green let out another round of carefully measured laughter. "Hashtag piratebait has become quite popular recently. I heard there are some posters dressing up as members of Team Aqua and Kazan."

Matsubusa stared at the monitor in disbelief. The fact that the hosts were making light of his situation and even wishing harm on him was downright horrifying, but the idea of people impersonating him to make fun of him was downright _infuriating_. "...Courtney had better be nuking those sites!"

Dante nudged his nose firmly against Matsubusa's wrist to get his trainer's attention before he fixed his gaze resolutely on the computer terminal.

Matsubusa paused and glanced at his Pokémon before he focused his attention at the terminal. It was a reminder that he had other things to focus on – such as contacting his admins for help. Thankfully, he knew their numbers by heart, so he didn't need his Pokédex to access their contact information. Quickly, he typed in Homura's phone number, initiating the call that he intended to lead to his rescue. He just hoped Homura wouldn't block it, as the call was undoubtedly from a number he wouldn't recognize.

* * *

Tabitha loved to fly his helicopter. It made him feel free, like there was nothing but him and infinity surrounding him. At times it did get a bit lonely as well, and he loved having his friends fly with him. However, the presence of Homura in the co-pilot's seat made the trip go to the opposite extreme, making him feel as though he was trapped in a tiny metal box, as the other man practically radiated rage and misery. Countless times he tried to broach the topic of some safe conversation, but words failed him each time, so they made the journey from Kanto to Hoenn tense.

Ever since talking to the police, Homura's mood had been _sour_. In hindsight, they probably shouldn't have expected much of anything from the police – Team Magma existed for this very reason. And yet that knowledge did little to ease the personal assistant's rage, allowing it to smolder inside of him.

It made the trip back that much more uncomfortable, as Homura glared at the horizon as if it were somehow involved. In the end, Tabitha was left to pilot the helicopter in awkward silence.

Thankfully, the atmosphere didn't last the entire trip. As if in answer to Tabitha's prayers, Homura's Pokédex began to ring. It was an unknown ringtone, certainly not one that either recognized as belonging to their coworkers. Homura hesitated as he listened before he glared balefully down at the Pokédex.

"Thank Arceus," Tabitha muttered under his breath. He didn't care who was calling – it would be a welcome change from the unbearable silence.

Homura flipped open his Pokédex to look at the number, his scowl still firmly planted on his face. "...If it's that damn cop, it's too little, too late."

"Maybe they have news?" Tabitha suggested, trying to sound more hopeful than he felt.

Homura silently glared at the Pokédex, watching the number dance across his screen as the call continued to ring.

Tabitha felt uncomfortable as the ring tone repeated endlessly. "Um... You gonna pick that up?"

"...Tch." Homura's lips curled up in to a snarl as he flicked his thumb across the screen, swiping the call to accept it. "Who is this."

"Homura!" Matsubusa's voice came out loud and clear as his face appeared on the screen, causing Homura to jerk and stare at the sight of his leader. "You need to answer the phone when I call you, damn it!"

"M-Matsubusa!?" Homura nearly stood up, though the seatbelt jerked his body so that he couldn't complete the motion.

Tabitha jolted upright in his seat, nearly knocking the controls aside in his surprise. "Matsubusa! Are you okay?!"

"I'm doing well enough for the moment, no thanks to that bastard," Matsubusa growled, crossing his arms. "He ran off for the moment. Apparently he thought I'd sit on my ass like a good prisoner while he was off chasing whalers."

Homura furrowed his brow, his eyes darting around Matsubusa's surroundings. He didn't recognize the room at all, though he could at least tell that it was some sort of communications center. "Where are you?"

"Damned if I know!" Matsubusa spat out. "It's some run-down 'base' they're calling a 'headquarters'. It's barely guarded at all. They don't even have _sentries_. All I know is that they brought me here by boat." The redhead whirled to glare at Homura, his jaw clenching. "By _boat_, Homura!"

"See if you can patch over the coordinates," Tabitha said as he prepared to change course. "We'll head to your location right away!"

"I'm already tracing it," Homura muttered as he fiddled with his Pokédex, using the built-in GPS system to find out the origin of the call. "...It's Team Aqua. All they _have_ are boats."

"That's no excuse!" Matsubusa snapped as he slammed his hands on the computer terminal.

Homura ignored Matsubusa for a moment, his eyes focused on the GPS tracker as it slowly made its way across Kanto, through the ocean, before finally coming to a stop in the waters between Kanto and Hoenn. He swiftly plugged his Pokédex in to the helicopter, transferring the coordinates to the helicopter's navigation system. "Tabitha, how quickly can you get us there?"

Tabitha's hands flew over the controls. "I can get us there in less than 20 minutes."

Matsubusa couldn't help but grin victoriously. "There's no way a boat or water Pokémon can get back _that_ fast."

"_Seriously?_!"

Matt stood panting in the doorway, his face faintly glistening with perspiration. "Was beating... those grunts up... really necessary?"

Matsubusa jumped and whipped around to stare at Matt, his eyes widening. "...Ah."

Matt wiped his brow with the back of his hand. "Would it have killed you... to wait until Aogiri was back to make your big dramatic exit?"

"I, ah," Matsubusa hesitated as he fidgeted, feeling self-conscious.

"Stay away from him!" Homura barked, his voice booming.

Tabitha scowled at Matt. "If you attack Matsubusa..."

Matt put his hand over his face and groaned. "Look, I really, _really_ don't want to get involved with your kinky cat and mouse chase games with Aogiri, so how about I just call Aogiri so you two can do your thing, and I can just not deal with being a third wheel?"

Matsubusa quivered, his face turning solid red, before he clenched his fists and stomped his foot. "I-I... _I'm not a fuck toy_!"

Homura jerked at that, his eyes widening. "..._What_!?"

Matt took on the expression of a person who had suddenly been slapped in the face with a large trout. "_What?_"

Tabitha practically quaked in rage. "He did _what?_!"

"I-I heard! I _heard_!" Matsubusa snapped as he pointed at Matt, his face red. "I heard, I heard, I heard, _I heard_! I heard _everything_!"

Dante growled as he glared murder into Matt.

Matt shook his head to clear it. "You heard it from _where_? That's, like, the _exact opposite_ of everything I told you!"

Kappa positioned himself in front of Matt, crouching down like a sumo-wrestler as he met Dante's hostility with some of his own.

"Didn't you ever teach your grunts that loose lips sink ships!?" Matsubusa practically shrieked as he continued to point at Matt, jabbing his finger in the admin's direction. "After everything you said, I actually _believed_ you... until your stupid grunts started running their mouths! Who's so stupid as to gossip in front of an open door, anyway!?"

Matt blinked slowly. "Wait, so... those two were imagining weird crap between you and Aogiri... and you believed them?"

Matsubusa hesitated at that, in mid-point. "...And?"

Matt rubbed his temples, muttering under his breath. "This is why dating is a pain in the ass." He let out a sigh then raised his voice back to normal. "I've been best friends with Aogiri since we were _sixteen_. We barely started recruiting new members within the past couple years. Do you _really_ think two random people you probably don't even know the name of actually know Aogiri better than me? Hell, _you've_ known him longer than either of them!"

Matsubusa hesitated at that, his anger faltering. "...Ah. I... that's..."

Matt's expression deadpanned. "Do you even remember seeing their faces before today?"

Matsubusa fidgeted in place, growing increasingly uncomfortable. "I-I... y-y-you keep going on about how you're all one big family, s-so-!"

Matt slowly raised an eyebrow. "And your family doesn't have the occasional dumbass hanging out?"

Matsubusa grimaced before he clenched his fists. "S-s-s-s-sex in a closet! They were talking about having sex with him _in a closet_!"

Matt groaned, his eyes rolling towards the ceiling. "Man, don't get me _started_ on the sex talk bullshit. I swear, I don't know how people get stuff _done_ thinking about diddling with what's in their pants with what's in someone else's pants all the time."

Matsubusa reached up to grab at his collar, tugging on it. "I..."

"Trust me," Matt said, "Aogiri won't force you to-"

"Matsubusa!" Homura barked, startling the redhead. "Don't let him trick you! They _kidnapped_ you, for Arceus' sake! _Run for it_!"

"He's just stalling for reinforcements!" Tabitha snapped.

Matt shot a glare at the screen. "You two aren't helping!"

Tabitha scowled back at Matt. "Why should we help any of _you?_"

Matsubusa whirled to stare at Homura and Tabitha, then back to Matt. He glanced between the two as confusion flooded his body, before his eyes fell on Dante. Meeting the Houndoom's gaze, he felt his courage return and, sparing Matt a parting glance, he quickly rushed past the admin and his Blastoise towards the door.

Matt tried to call after Matsubusa, but the redhead and Houndoom were gone before he could say anything. He sighed and shook his head before shooting an exasperated look at the screen. "You two are such hypocrites."

Matsubusa raced down the hall as quickly as he could. He was relieved to see that Matt wasn't following him. It wasn't just because of his escape attempt, but also because he just didn't know what to say to the admin or his comments. He preferred to hold on to his anger, rather than question it.

The further away Matsubusa went from the communication's room, the more confident he became in his choice. He didn't even bother to conceal his actions, running past groups of grunts who only stopped and turned to stare at him in confusion. It spoke volumes of their capability to stop him, and his chances of escaping the wretched team and their deplorable captain. He just needed to figure out _how_.

At the very least, he would check out the dock to see if it lead out to dry land. Surely the base wasn't entirely surrounded by water – he might even find a helicopter pad and a helicopter to commandeer.

Matsubusa maneuvered his way down the halls, attempting to remember the path Shelly had taken him before. Thankfully, the headquarters wasn't too difficult to maneuver and soon enough he found himself on the docks.

As Matsubusa rushed through the doorway in to the dock area, he skidded to a stop, nearly stumbling forward as Dante had to swerve to avoid hitting the back of his legs.

The ship had returned to the port, and Aogiri had just stepped off the gangplank onto the dock in time to notice Matsubusa. His eyes lit up as a crooked smile came to his face. "Yo! Come rushing out to greet me, Masky?"

Matsubusa paused as he opened his mouth, then promptly clamped it shut. He swiftly turned on his heels and rushed back inside the headquarters.

Unfortunately, Matsubusa didn't make it far before he saw Matt running towards him from down the hallway with Kappa and a number of grunts.

Matsubusa jerked back with a yelp and turned sharply on his heels. However, he had no sooner finished the turn before he rammed face first in to a wall of muscle. The redhead let out a startled yelp as he bounced off the perfect pectorals and fell backwards from the force.

Aogiri reacted instantly, snagging Matsubusa by the waist before the redhead could hit the floor. "Careful!"

While Matsubusa was relieved to not hit the floor, the relief was short-lived at the sight of Aogiri's grinning face. "Y-you...!"

Aogiri didn't give Matsubusa a chance to finish speaking, as he foisted the redhead over his shoulder and headed back towards the docks. "Come on, gang! Everyone move out!"

Matsubusa yelped as he grasped at the back of Aogiri's wetsuit, finding his stomach crushed against the powerful shoulder muscles. "W-w-what-!?"

Dante growled at Aogiri and lunged, only to be snatched out of the air by Leviathan.

Aogiri took the Pokéball off Matsubusa's belt and used it to recall Dante. "We're switching locations, of course!"

Matsubusa jerked as he saw his Pokémon disappear in to his Pokéball, and his face twisted with anger. "What are you doing!?"

Aogiri stuffed the purloined Pokéball into a hidden pocket in his wetsuit. "You lost your Pokémon privileges until we get to the next base, Masky."

"W-what!?" Matsubusa's eyes widened. "N-next base!?"

"Of course!" Aogiri said. "You don't expect us to stick around and wait for your boys to crash the party, do you?"

"Y-you-!" Matsubusa began before he noticed the direction Aogiri was carrying him – towards the dock. The redhead paused as the dock came in to view, in particular the boat tethered to the dock and all the grunts that were quickly boarding the vessel. "Wait. Wait! Wait wait wait _wait_! Where are you going!?"

"Back to the boat of course," Aogiri said cheerfully. "We're traveling in _style_!"

"_Boat_!?" Matsubusa all but shrieked as he grasped at the back of Aogiri's wetsuit, using it to push himself upwards. "No! Absolutely not! I forbid it!"

"Too late to change your mind now, Masky," Aogiri said as he sauntered up the boat. "You were the one that made us have to relocate ASAP."

"No-no-no-no!" Matsubusa beat his fists against Aogiri's back as he kicked his feet. "_No_! I said _no_, damn it!"

"Throw a fuss all you like," Aogiri said, "but you brought this on yourself and the rest of us."

"You bastard, I said-!" Matsubusa began before he let out a startled squeak as Aogiri proceeded up the gangplank, giving the redhead a good view of the water to either side of the boat. Matsubusa jerked as his entirely body went tense, his legs curling up tight as his arms locked against the pirate's muscles. A stream of strangled noises came out of his mouth as his face went pale, his protests becoming incoherent.

Aogiri chuckled at the gibberish gushing out of Matsubusa's mouth as they boarded the boat. "Now, now, don't be too upset that we thwarted you so quickly, Masky. We were already almost back when Matt sent me the heads up on what you did."

Matsubusa trembled as he felt his stomach churn against the pirate's shoulder, threatening to force the redhead to empty the contents of his stomach. He could only respond with more strangled noises, though the protest was very obvious in his tone.

Aogiri hummed a jaunty tune as he carried Matsubusa to his cabin, where he deposited his captive onto a familiar bed covered in pillows. "There you go, just like you left it."

Matsubusa's breathing hitched as he gripped at the bed and whirled to stare at Aogiri with wide eyes. "D-Dante!"

Aogiri wagged a finger before lightly poking Matsubusa's nose. "Nope, not until we've cast off and put some distance between us and the island."

Matsubusa flinched at the poke before he shook his head, his fingers digging in to the sheets. The thought of so much water around him made his blood go cold. "You... you can't do this!"

"Think of this as a little punishment for trying to spoil our fun so soon," Aogiri said as he backed out the door. "But don't worry, I love ya too much to make you suffer long. You'll get Dante back in an hour tops."

"N-no, you-! Wait!" Matsubusa gasped out, even as it was clear that the pirate had no intention of obeying him. "Stop! _Aogiri_!"

"Sorry," Aogiri said, "I'd love to stay and flirt longer, really I would, but I've got captain duties to perform." He blew Matsubusa a kiss before pulling the door closed. "But don't worry, I'll be back as soon."

A damning series of clicks echoed in the cabin and even before Matsubusa flew to the door, he knew that it would be locked. No matter how hard he worked the knob, it refused to budge an inch. The door itself was made of metal, likely reinforced, so kicking it down wasn't an option.

The redhead struggled with the door for several moments before he proceeded to bang on it, the sound echoing violently in both the cabin and the hallway leading to it. "Aogiri! _Aogiri_!"

After several more knocks, a loud _bang_ issued as Matsubusa kicked the door, his voice ringing out loudly. "_You bastard_!"

* * *

There was no time to waste. Aogiri dashed around on deck, barking out orders to every grunt he could see to empty out their base of essentials and evacuate.

Moving like a well-oiled machine, Team Aqua had the ship loaded in record time and out of port within minutes. As the massive ship moved out of the base and in to the open water, Aogiri found his way back on deck. At the center, he saw his admins assembled in a group with their Pokémon out, most noticeably with Izumi sitting on Ryuko's back as Shelly stood beside Goliath.

"What's up?" Aogiri asked as he approached the ladies.

"We're staying behind," Shelly said as she placed her hand on Goliath's arm.

"We're going to wait for Masky's 'rescuers' to arrive," Izumi said with a sly grin. "Get some _real face_ time of our _own_."

Aogiri nearly asked why when understanding lit his eyes. "Oh, right, it's those two guys who're coming, isn't it?" He chuckled. "No better opportunity to corner them alone, right?"

"Masky did us a favor, really," Izumi said with a wiggle of her brow. "Even if he messed with my systems."

Shelly reached into her pocket and pulled out a bottle of pills, which she held out to Aogiri. "Here, these are for Matsubusa."

Aogiri frowned as he examined the bottle. "Wait a sec, aren't these tranqs?" He opened up his palms to refuse the pills. "No way. I ain't about to force Masky like that."

Shelly let out a frustrated breath and pushed the bottle into Aogiri's hand. "It's not for _you_ to use on _him_. It's for him to _choose_ to use _if he needs them_. This is an official as-needed prescription from a _doctor_, idiot."

Hesitantly, Aogiri accepted the bottle, brow furrowed. "I take it you're not planning on telling me why he needs them."

"Doctor-patient confidentiality," Shelly said, her gaze hard. "It's also why, as a doctor, I order you to _fly_ Matsubusa to the next base. Not keep him sailing on a ship."

"On what?" Aogiri asked. "A Pokémon?"

"You have Smaug, so it'd be easy enough," Izumi said as she leaned forward on Ryuko and patted the Gyarados' back. "Plenty of room."

"Exactly," Shelly said before she climbed onto Goliath's back. "He's fast enough to take you there and bring you back to the ship to take charge of the crew."

Aogiri tried to ignore the maddening itch of curiosity and put the bottle in a pocket. He knew he couldn't resist prodding Matsubusa for details about this secret hidden between the leader of Team Magma and Shelly. "Anything else, doc?"

Shelly considered the question for a moment. "Be gentle."

Aogiri grinned and gave a two-finger salute. "Of course. That's priority number one."

"You sure you don't want one of us to stay, too?" Ushio asked as he rubbed the back of his head. "Y'know, Bird Boy _does_ use a gun an' all..."

Izumi arched an eyebrow. "Yeah, I think we'll be fine enough without a _fifth wheel_."

Shelly flashed her teeth in a wide, predatory grin. "Oh, believe me, we're not going to need anything but our natural talents to take on Homura and Tabitha."

Ushio blinked before he nodded sagely, and turned his head to Matt. "She means boobs."

Matt slapped his hand over his face. "Thank you, Ushio. I would never have guessed that."

Aogiri and the remaining crew saw Shelly and Izumi off, the two female admins flying off the ship and back to the base. As they disappeared in to the hidden dock, Aogiri was once again left to his boat, his crew, and Matsubusa.

With a bark of orders and the mechanisms of an experienced crew, Team Aqua was out and away from the base in record speed. They didn't have time to waste and made certain that not a single second passed without being used to its fullest potential. All too quickly, the boat was once again within the open waters, with nothing but sea around them.

Aogiri surveyed the deck before he patted the hidden pills in his pocket. With an approving nod, he swiftly heading back to the cabin. The pirate had kept Matsubusa waiting long enough.

It didn't take him long to get back to the cabin, and his prize within. Once there, Aogiri rapped on the door before unlatching the lock. "Hope you're decent, Masky, 'cause here I come!"

A rattle of bottles caught Aogiri's attention as he opened the door, the only warning he got before the scene unfolded in front of him. Matsubusa was sitting on the floor, huddled in a corner as he nursed a bottle of Aogiri's alcohol in his hands. The captain immediately recognized it, and the other noticeably _empty_ bottles scattered across the floor, as his own private stash. Judging by the looks of it, Matsubusa had not only scoured the room to find it, but had helped himself to half the contents.

Aogiri could only stare at Matsubusa in disbelief. "_Seriously_?"

Matsubusa paused at that before he blurrily glanced over to Aogiri, his face flushed and his cheeks tinted a bright shade of red. "Back already, bastard? You bastard."

Aogiri shook his head. "Doubt the pills should be taken with alcohol," he muttered under his breath before entering the room. "Yo, what's with all the booze?"

"Ask yourself, it's _your_ booze!" Matsubusa snapped, before he smirked, as if he was proud of his retort, finding it rather witty.

Aogiri snatched up the half-empty bottle before Matsubusa could take another swig. "Why the hell would you chug so much of it in such a short amount of time? This is my high quality stash here!"

Matsubusa yelped as the bottle was snatched, and he stumbled to his feet, using the wall for support. "H-hey! No! _Bad_!"

Aogiri blinked and stared at the wobbly wagging finger Matsubusa waved in his general direction. "Okay, see, this is the time to cut you off and get you some water."

"_No_!" Matsubusa shrieked as he clenched his fists. "_No more water_!"

Aogiri set about gathering up the bottles that still contained some traces of alcohol. "Okay, juice then. How's that sound?"

"No!" Matsubusa moved to try and grab at the empty bottles, without much success. "First you kidnap me, then you put me on a boat, then you take my Pokémon, then put me on a boat _again_, and now you're taking my booze!?"

"_Your_ booze?" Aogiri asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I found it, that makes it mine!" Matsubusa declared, with absolute authority.

Aogiri waved the bottles around in front of him. "Oh look, they're in my hands, which means they're mine."

Matsubusa paused at that before he looked positively _aghast_. "B-but that's not _fair_!"

"Why's that?" Aogiri asked with false innocence.

"B-because you took them from me!" Matsubusa said as he reached for the bottles again, only for Aogiri to move them out of reach. "And you won't give them back!"

"You took them from me first," Aogiri said reasonably, trying hard not to smile.

"You weren't here, so you couldn't stop me!" Matsubusa snapped as he clenched his fists.

"I'm here now," Aogiri said as he backed to the door. "And I'll be right back as soon as I hide these."

"W-wait! No!" Matsubusa tried to intercept Aogiri, but his legs wobbled before he fell to the ground, landing roughly on his rump. He blinked, then slammed his hands on the floor. "Aogiriiiii!"

Aogiri winked as he backed out of the room. "Don't worry, I'll be back in just a few minutes."

"Nooooooooooooooooooo!" Matsubusa wailed after the retreating captain, from his position on the floor. "Aogiriiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

Aogiri felt a pang of guilt from the way Matsubusa called his name so plaintively and hesitated to leave. "Aw, Masky, do you want me to stick around because you want a hug, or are you just after more booze?"

"Booze!" Matsubusa said, firmly.

"That's what I thought," Aogiri snickered before closing the door on Matsubusa.

Matsubusa huffed as he glared at the door, before he fumbled to his feet. It took him several moments to find his balance, but both his anger and the alcohol within him drove him ever forward. Once he arrived at the door, he was surprised to see that it wasn't locked – merely closed.

The redhead paused before he frowned. As he stared at the door, a thought filtered in to his head. Chances were, Aogiri didn't see the _need_ to lock the door, thinking the redhead simply too drunk to operate a door. And even if he could, he was far too drunk to cause much trouble.

The pirate was dead wrong.

His frown turning to a scowl, Matsubusa threw the door open before he leaned forward precariously to look down the hallway for any sight of the pirate. Seeing Aogiri nowhere in sight, Matsubusa's irritation grew ever stronger. He disliked being underestimated about as much as he liked being on a boat, and he absolutely _despised_ being on a boat.

"That bastard... he thinks he can punish me? He thinks he can _control_ me?" Matsubusa growled as he gripped the door frame. "He thinks he can steal my Pokémon and my booze, and put me on a boat!? I'll show him! I'm... I'm going _home_!"

* * *

Matt was surprised to see Aogiri enter the galley with arms loaded down with alcohol. "What's up?"

Aogiri sighed as he set the bottles down onto an empty counter. "Masky decided to get plastered, probably out of spite for stopping his escape attempt, so I cut him off."

Matt frowned. "Uh... I hope that medicine doesn't react badly with alcohol..."

Leviathan looked up from where she sat by the door, some meat in her hands from where she was eating. She blinked, then looked at the bottles. She gave a small sniff before she stuck her tongue out.

"I'm sure it does," Aogiri said before patting the small lump the pill bottle formed. "That's why I'm not handing it over. Flying is out too until he gets sober. Flying drunk on a Pokémon is just begging to fall off and crack open your head like a melon."

Leviathan tossed the rest of her food in her mouth and chewed it a bit before swallowing, replenishing her energy after the fight with the whalers. After she gave a mighty gulp, the Feraligatr then paused. She blinked slowly before she furrowed her brow, tilting her head as if listening.

Aogiri glanced at Leviathan. "Surfing is out too for the same reason."

Leviathan met Aogiri's gaze before she turned her head and trotted towards the closest port window, peering outside.

Aogiri could sense something amiss with Leviathan's body language, so he hurried to his partner's side to search for whatever had disturbed her.

As Aogiri got to the window, he immediately heard the faint sound of a motor revving. He had very little opportunity to register the meaning behind the sound before suddenly one of speedboats typically tethered to the boat suddenly skid past the window, shooting across the water.

The vibrant red of the rider immediately identified him to Aogiri. "Damn it, Masky!"

Matsubusa clutched the steering wheel to the boat with trembling hands, his entire body quaking. His mind was equal parts screaming at him to go faster as it was screaming that he was on a _smaller_ boat, much _closer_ to the water than he had been moments before. It was only due to the alcohol in his bloodstream that he wasn't curled up in to a fetal position in the seat, puking out the butterflies in his stomach. The alcohol was the reason that he even had the courage to swipe the speedboat in the first place.

The leader of Team Magma had rather quickly found that his avenues of escape were severely limited, if not impossible, on a boat. Without a flying or swimming Pokémon, he was essentially trapped – which was no doubt Aogiri's intentions. And since he didn't possess a flying or swimming Pokémon, or any Pokémon _at all_ given Aogiri confiscating Dante, he was left with nothing but what he could find. And what he found was a speedboat tethered to the side of the vessel, like a life raft.

Under normal circumstances, he would never even _consider_ getting on a speedboat. But when his choices were captivity on a boat and possible freedom on a smaller boat, logic dictated that the later was the better option. And with alcohol agreeing with logic, it just seemed like the best decision he could make.

The fact that he was now deeply regretting it, terrified for his life, in no way invalidated his logic.

"Just got to... go fast. Faster I go, faster it's over," Matsubusa murmured, through clenched teeth. "And follow the beacons. Beacons keep Pokémon away... beacons keep me safe... beacons lead to civilization."

"Yo, Masky!"

Matsubusa jerked at the sound of Aogiri's voice and quickly glanced over his shoulder, eyes wide as they scanned the area for their source.

To his horror, he quickly spotted the pirate on the back of Leviathan, who was cutting through the water like a knife and steadily gaining on the speedboat.

Aogiri held a bullhorn to his mouth so that he could be heard despite the violent choppiness of the water and the distance between him and his quarry. "You know, I'm starting to get the feeling that you've got a crazy side to you."

Matsubusa felt his insides clench and he quickly grabbed the clutch, throwing it down as far as it could go. The motor revved to life, the front of the boat lifting upwards slightly as it gained top speed. "B-bastard! Bastard bastard _bastard_!"

Aogiri barely caught Matsubusa's shouts over the sound of churning water and the roar of the speedboat's engine. "Don't worry, baby, I like to get crazy too sometimes!" A wicked smile curved at his lips. "Let's race!"

Matsubusa grit his teeth as he whipped his head about, holding the clutch down with one hand while the other held the steering wheel. There were so many things he wanted to scream at Aogiri, but he needed to focus. He needed to get off the water and to land as quickly as possible, and leave all the bad things, the uncomfortable things behind him. He had to move quickly, especially with Tabitha and Homura already on their way by helicopter.

The leader of Team Magma did his best to keep his eyes on the horizon and not the water as it stretched all around him, rushing past him on both sides and under the boat as he continued onwards. The boat floor was firmly beneath him, providing a barrier between him and the lethal liquid it was flying across. While he wasn't particularly familiar with driving a boat, it was similar enough to driving a stick shift that he was able to manage. Considering he was even on a boat surrounded by water, it was the least of his concerns. It was amazing what someone could tolerate when it came to their own skin, especially with a hearty dose of alcohol saturating said skin.

Matsubusa didn't even need to glance back to know that Leviathan was hot on his trail. Pokémon were notoriously good swimmers, and Aogiri's behemoth of a Feraligatr was no exception. She was certainly faster than the rest of their boats and was almost a match for the speedboat itself. He could only imagine that was why Aogiri opted to ride her rather than anything else. Every moment that passed, Leviathan was no doubt gaining on him. He needed to get to shore before the Feraligatr could catch up to him.

With the bright sun high in the sky, Matsubusa was easily able to see a beach in the distance, rapidly coming in to focus. White sands stretched along the coastline, littered with colorful parasols and beach chairs as tourists gathered to enjoy the pristine water before the hot sun began its mid-day assault.

Matsubusa didn't recognize the beach, but he wasn't familiar with _any_ beaches. Despite Hoenn being a large tourist attraction full of lush beaches, Matsubusa made it a point to stay as far inland as he could. All beaches looked like death traps, and he couldn't tell a difference between them if his life depended on it – which it currently did. In this case, he _didn't_ need to know the difference – he just needed to get to land.

The redhead chewed on his lower lip. He didn't have time to actually dock, not with Aogiri after him. He didn't really know how to dock it in the first place, anyway. The redhead really only had one option. Bracing himself, Matsubusa aimed the boat towards the beach with one hand while he slammed his hand down on the horn with the other.

Tourists stopped to stare. Some had already begun to watch the boat with passing interest, but the horn succeeded in getting everyone's attention, and drawing them to the fact that the speedboat was going _straight for them_**.** People screamed as they scrambled out of the way, scattering across the sand to make room for the approaching vehicle.

Matsubusa gripped the steering wheel tightly and braced himself. Within seconds, the speedboat hit shallow water just outside the shoreline, causing the water vehicle to shudder. He could hear and feel the wooden bottom shattering upon impact, but the boat continued onward towards the beach, making it safely past the shallows. As the water turned in to sand and the motor suddenly found itself in the air, the boat finally began to slow before coming to a stop directly on the beach.

Matsubusa trembled before he jumped off the boat, feeling a wave of relief as his feet touched land. He didn't even care that it was sand, soft and slippery underneath him. It wasn't water, and that's what mattered. He ignored the gawks and glares from the tourists around him.

The redhead stumbled forward through the sand a few steps before he turned about to survey the situation – in particular, that he was free. He was on land, the water and Aogiri's boat far away from him. He had escaped, back in civilization. With so many people, there was no way Aogiri would follow him any further. He felt a swelling of victory at that thought and threw up his trembling hands triumphantly. "It's _over_-"

The words couldn't even leave Matsubusa's mouth before the boat shattered in front of him, spraying bits of wood about the beach. He had the perfect view of Leviathan ramming in to the boat from behind, using her head as a battering ram. As the ruined boat collapsed around her, Leviathan emerged from the wreckage, Aogiri safely on her back. She dig her claws in to the ruined wood below her and _bellowed_**, **her gaping maw displaying her razor sharp teeth.

Even from so far away, Aogiri's wide grin was obvious as he sat atop Leviathan. "Don't stop now, baby. I'm not done yet!"

Matsubusa yelped and stepped back before he whirled on his heels and scrambled along the beach, shoving people out of his way as he raced for sturdier land. Behind him, Leviathan leapt down from the wreckage of the boat before she charged after the fleeing redhead on all fours, lifting herself up and moving far more quickly than a beast her size had any right to.

"You've gotta do better than that!" Aogiri said. "My Levi is the fastest Pokémon in the ocean!"

"She's not on the ocean anymore, you _bastard_!" Matsubusa snapped as he scrambled over a fence acting as the boundary between the beach and the parking lot. "_Go away_!"

Aogiri's laughter rang through the air as he and Leviathan steadily narrowed the gap between them and Matsubusa. Leviathan didn't even hesitate for the fence as she plowed through it, splintering it in to little more than matchsticks. "If you think I'm giving up now, you don't know me at all!"

Matsubusa cursed as he ran down the road, not entirely certain where he was going save that it was _away_ from the man hot on his heels. Around them, people began gathering turned to watch, having been drawn to the area by the commotion. They kept their distance, which was both a blessing and a curse. No one was obstructing his path anymore, but no one was going out of their way to assist him either. "T-there are _witnesses_, you... _imbecile_! Y-you can't just _kidnap_ people in _broad daylight_-!"

"_Hold it right there_!"

Matsubusa instinctively jerked about, startled by the command. He stumbled forward before coming to a stop, just in time for two police officers to burst out of a nearby restaurant, brandishing their guns at Aogiri, or more particularly at the massive Feraligatr he rode down the street.

"You're under arrest! Recall your Pokémon and-" one of the officers began.

A loud bellow was all the warning the officers got before Leviathan lunged between them and Matsubusa, swinging her head about to knock the two officers backwards, off their feet. They landed roughly with a cry, though it wasn't nearly as hard as the blow _could_ have been, which the Feraligatr demonstrated as she swung her head back around to crush the backside of a parked car nearby.

Matsubusa scrambled back with a cry, his face pale as he increased his distance from the Feraligatr and the police officers on the ground. While he had initially been glad to see the police getting involved, the way Leviathan had easily disarmed them was more than a little discouraging. The police officers were sprawled about the sidewalk, their guns no longer firmly in their hands as the fall had jarred them loose.

One of the officers managed to grab a Pokéball from off his belt, quickly summoning a Pokémon. A tan and black Herdier appeared with a bark, glancing about to assess the situation before its eyes widened, locking on to the monstrous face of the enemy in front of it.

Leviathan slowly stood up, forcing the Herdier's eyes to follow her upwards as she stood her full height and towered high above the dog, ten feet meeting just under three. Leviathan bared her teeth as she let out a low growl, which prompted the Herdier to let out a shriek and bolt down the street in the opposite direction. The dog Pokémon fled just enough until it was certain that Leviathan wasn't chasing, then whipped about and barked furiously at the reptile Pokémon.

"...My _hero_." Matsubusa muttered, his expression deadpanning.

"You rang?" Without further warning, Aogiri suddenly leapt of Leviathan's back and landed in front of Matsubusa. He easily snatched up the much more lithe redhead in his muscular arms, grinning as he looked Matsubusa in the eye.

Matsubusa yelped as he was startled not only by the sudden appearance of Aogiri directly in front of him but also suddenly being swept off his feet. "Yah-!?"

"This was fun," Aogiri said as he carried Matsubusa off.

"P-put me down!" Matsubusa demanded as he squirmed in Aogiri's grip. His face turned a deep shade of red, both at the staring but primarily the way Aogiri carried him like a prize in front of so many gawkers. "Right now! Immediately! Instantly!"

"Oh come on now," Aogiri laughed. "You didn't _really_ think I was about to let you get away after all the trouble you put me and my team through, did you?"

"I don't care! Y-y-you... do you have any idea how much trouble _I_ went through!?" Matsubusa demanded as he flailed helplessly, his arms and legs hitting nothing but air. "You can't do this!"

"_Someone_ hasn't been paying attention," Aogiri said before he returned to his Pokémon's side. "Finished disarming the police, Levi?" He grinned as his Feraligatr showed him warped chunks of metal that used to be guns sitting in her mouth. "Good girl. Let's go home."

Leviathan spat out the guns before she turned her whole body about, her tail lashing and knocking the mangled car over as she righted herself. She dropped back down to all fours, cracking the pavement with a rumble, before she glanced to Aogiri and grinned.

"No!" Matsubusa protested as he beat on Aogiri's chest with his fists. "Unhand me! I said... I _said_ un_hand_ me!"

Aogiri hopped back onto Leviathan's back, holding the squirming Matsubusa firmly against him. "Let's ride, Levi!"

Leviathan hoisted herself up and proceeded to take off, back towards the beach. She didn't move nearly as quickly as she had when chasing after Matsubusa, as if she were strutting proudly back to the water.

Matsubusa didn't appreciate it, not in the slightest. He squirmed against Aogiri, face red. More and more people had gathered to stare, watching his humiliating defeat. "S-someone _do something_!" he demanded, furiously. He paused when he noticed that a good number of the audience had aimed their Pokédexes at them, obviously recording the scene before them. His face turned an even darker shade of red as he waved his finger accusingly about. "_Other than that_!"

Aogiri chuckled. "I doubt anyone here is dumb enough to start something with the King of the Sea after Levi made short work of the police."

"Y-you... argh!" Matsubusa snarled with frustration as he beat on Aogiri's chest with his fists. "Y-you bastard!"

"Careful," Aogiri said slyly. "Don't hurt yourself now."

Matsubusa let out a strangled cry of anger before he grabbed Aogiri's shoulder and _bit_ inside the pirate's collar, unable to properly express the torrent of feelings inside him any other way than by sinking his fangs into the other man's dark skin.

Aogiri flinched in pain, but chuckled all the same. "Hey now, I didn't know you were into the _kinky_ stuff, Masky."

Matsubusa sputtered, immediately releasing Aogiri and jerking back as if he had been burned. It hadn't meant to be sexual, but calling attention to the act suddenly made the whole thing seem _indecent_. It made him acutely aware of Aogiri's taste that was now in his mouth, and his mind helpfully pointed out how it was almost like an indirect kiss. "S-s-shut up, shut up, _shut up_!"

Aogiri laughed all the more as he rode Leviathan back towards the beach. "I should've known you were a biter with those fangs of yours."

Matsubusa growled as he quivered with rage, then stopped when he noticed that they had reached the sandy beach. The ruined boat came in to view, but he was more interested in the water that stretched behind it. He didn't see another boat, no sign of the Team Aqua admins come to pick them up. And yet, Leviathan was trotting straight towards the water with single-minded purpose. "W-wait, what..."

Aogiri smirked at Matsubusa just before Leviathan dove back into the ocean with a mighty splash.

Matsubusa let out a shriek as the reptile Pokémon dove in to the water, which was cut off by a rush of cold, salty water surged at him from all around. Leviathan was moving quickly and he was only under water for several seconds before the Pokémon emerged once more above the surface, but it was _more_ than enough for Matsubusa. He sputtered and choked, clinging to Aogiri as his soaking clothes clung to him, hugging the contours of his body. "N-no! No-no-no-no-_no_-!"

Aogiri leered at Matsubusa and made a rumbling noise as though he had taken a bite of something sweet and tasty. "Oh yeah, Masky... The wet look works _real_ good on you."

Matsubusa's eyes darted around, panic increasing across his face with every passing second. He began to pant as he found himself unable to breathe, his lungs clenching as each gasp felt painful and suffocating. The color drained from his face as he quivered, Aogiri's words lost on him as he felt as though he was drowning in a torrent of fear no different than the water all around him.

At least with the ferry and the speed boat, there was something between him and the ocean. There was solid, or questionably solid, ground between him and the water – something he could focus on. But in Aogiri's arms, there was nothing between him and the water, there was nothing solid. Water was everywhere, moving quickly around him as Leviathan sliced through it easily as she swam away from the beach. The water was _everywhere_.

The amusement slowly drained out of Aogiri's face as he registered the sheer terror in Matsubusa's expression. "Hey, you okay?"

The world around Matsubusa disappeared, replaced with endless blue. He was a child again, no older than six with his wild red hair and wide, bright eyes. His tiny changshan soaked with water, he was back in the slowly flooding room of the capsized ferry, water rushing in as the vessel sank deeper and deeper beneath the ocean. As the pocket of air grew smaller, Matsubusa clung to the windowsill and stared outward past the glass in to the depths of the water. He could see the surface far above, glistening in the sun as the water rippled tranquilly.

And between himself and the surface, there were nothing but bodies – corpses.

People he didn't know, people he would never know, were scattered about the water. Some struggled before going still while others had long since lost, their eyes glassy and lifeless as they drifted by like flotsam. And the whole time, Matsubusa was trapped within the room as the ferry sunk ever deeper, bringing him in to the depths.

Matsubusa brought up one of his hands to press it against the glass, letting out a scream. "_Momma_!"

In that instant, the faces of the people in the water turned towards, every drifting body replaced with that of his mother. He couldn't remember what she looked like, he couldn't remember the features of her face, what kind of nose she had, or even the curve of her mouth. All he could remember was the cherry red hair that flowed out from behind her head, like a trail of blood in the water.

It was then that he saw the Sharpedos.

Appearing from the dark water, their red eyes glowing, the hungry Pokémon circled the smorgasbord before them. Matsubusa could barely let out a scream before the shark Pokémon attacked. They targeted the individuals still moving first, tearing them apart as a cloud of blood appeared. Limbs floated about, streaks of red tainting blue as the Pokémon attacked in a horrific haze of chaos.

Matsubusa shrieked as he banged his hands on the window, no longer a child. Still trapped in the room, he pounded on the glass until it shattered. And with it, the ferry itself disappeared and Matsubusa found himself drifting among the corpses.

The redhead's lungs seized as they insisted that he shouldn't be able to breathe under the water, his air gone. As he gasped and choked, the Sharpedo turned their attention to him as the corpses disappeared in to the darkness. Matsubusa flailed, attempting to swim to the surface even as the crowd of predators descended upon him, their teeth still red with blood.

A growl, familiar and welcome pierced through the silence of the water. Matsubusa wasn't sure how, but Dante was there by his side, the Houndoom's distinctly warm body pressed up against him.

Matsubusa immediately felt alarmed, the thought drifting through his head that the water would harm the Houndoom, not to mention the Sharpedo about to attack. And yet he couldn't get the words out, the growl sending a ripple through his body and through the water itself. The attacking Pokémon trembled before they seemingly disappeared like mist, along with the rest of his surroundings. Matsubusa felt numb, his body unresponsive as the rumbling moved through his muscles and dulled his senses. The water turned gray, before seemingly disappearing entirely as Matsubusa felt Dante spoon against his side.

Dante nuzzled Matsubusa, his warm wet nose pressing against his trainer's neck as he continued his soothing growl.

Matsubusa slowly became aware that his body ached, particularly his lungs and throat. He was wet, his body slick with salt water, and his changshan clung uncomfortably to him like a second skin. Dante's warmth was against his side, bleeding through the fabric to his cold and clammy flesh. As his vision returned, he found himself staring through half-lidded eyes up at the sky, bright blue with wisps of white fluffy clouds drifting by. Disoriented, the redhead furrowed his brow and focused on the only thing he could recognize – his Pokémon. "...Dante...?"

Dante licked Matsubusa's cheek and let out a tiny, worried whine before snuggling up to his trainer again.

Matsubusa tilted his head, unthinkingly pressing it up against the Houndoom's cheek. It was then that he noticed a deck of some kind beneath him, and a second source of body heat against his opposite side. The redhead furrowed his brow before he tilted his head back, looking up to find himself face to face with Aogiri.

"Hey," Aogiri said, his voice soft and demeanor subdued. "You back with us now?"

Matsubusa blinked slowly as he realized he was being cradled by Aogiri, held in his strong arms as Dante spooned his side. The redhead frowned, his eyes noting the pirate's face. "Where...?"

"You're safe," Aogiri said gently. "Don't worry. We're not going to let you drown, or let anything attack you."

The redhead furrowed his brow and out of his peripheral vision, he could see Leviathan hovering closely, her concern quite clear on her face. Behind her, he could see Ushio and Matt looking at him with their own faces mirroring the Feraligatr's. It was clear to Matsubusa that he had missed something, but his brain wasn't currently functioning well enough to figure out what.

It was then that Matsubusa noticed the smell, and the stickiness along the front of his changshan. Glancing down, the redhead saw himself staring at vomit, his morning breakfast mingled with alcohol as the disgusting substance clung to his skin and clothes – and Aogiri's wetsuit. "...Oh. I threw up."

Aogiri tried to force out a laugh, but all that came out was a breath. "Yeah. That... yeah. I don't have anything witty to say to that. As soon as you're ready to move, let's go get cleaned up, okay?"

"I drank too much," Matsubusa murmured, his voice weak. "Homura's going to yell at me."

"Don't worry about that right now," Aogiri said as he rubbed Matsubusa's back in slow circles.

Slowly, the numbness left Matsubusa's body, and he began to tremble. The redhead's teeth began to chatter as his hands moved to grip Aogiri's arm. "G-gross... I feel gross... and cold..."

Aogiri adjusted his hold so that he could stand with Matsubusa cradled carefully in his arms. "Sounds like as good a time as any to go get cleaned up."

Dante let out an annoyed rumble as Matsubusa was pulled away from him, but he didn't do anything more than follow Aogiri, his eyes never leaving his trainer.

As Dante's warmth disappeared before being replaced by Aogiri's own, Matsubusa found his mind drifting in and out. He was still aware of the condition of his own body, but it was as if his mind was only barely attached to his body and would slip away before returning, like a balloon in a breeze, struggling against the string that tethered it. He offered no resistance as Aogiri carried him away, leaving the deck and the concerned crew behind.


	8. Chapter 8

When Aogiri arrived at the cabin, Matsubusa was still quiet in the pirate's arms. He didn't offer even a token protest when the leader of Team Aqua stripped the redhead carefully and discarded his ruined clothing. Even the thought of being naked around Aogiri never crossed his mind, and only when the warm water of the shower head hit his skin did Matsubusa snap back at attention and became aware of his surroundings once more.

The bathroom attached to Aogiri's cabin was rather large, at least as far as Matsubusa would have expected. It had a bath/shower combo bathtub, which Aogiri had placed not only Matsubusa in but himself as he filled it with warm, clean water. Matsubusa blinked slowly before he leaned back against Aogiri, feeling the bare muscles against his back as the pirate used the showerhead to spray him down, first eliminating the vomit before turning his attention to the lingering sea water.

"You okay with the tub being full?" Aogiri asked softly. "I can drain it if you're not."

"It's warm," Matsubusa murmured, his eyes half-lidded. "It feels good."

Aogiri rubbed Matsubusa's shoulder before giving it a squeeze. "Good, good... Just let me know if you need anything, or if anything makes you uncomfortable at all, okay?"

Matsubusa made a soft noise as he tilted his head to the side, giving the pirate better access to his shoulder. He was limp against Aogiri, using the muscular man like a pillow for his aching body. It felt so nice and warm, it was hard to really _want_ to move. And with Dante watching so intently from the doorway, he felt _safe_.

Aogiri picked up a washcloth and lathered it up liberally with soap before he set about to cleaning Matsubusa with a delicate touch. "Don't worry about anything. We're going to take good care of you."

Matsubusa felt Aogiri begin to rub the washcloth against his skin, cleaning away the grime and filth. He glanced down to watch the cloth for several moments, and the firm hand guiding it, before he leaned his head back against Aogiri's chest and closed his eyes. "...You swear?"

Aogiri nodded before placing a feather light kiss against Matsubusa's temple. "I promise. I'm sorry I was an idiot and didn't pay enough attention to you."

Matsubusa felt his body growing warm at the kiss, but it wasn't enough to disturb him. "Hm?"

"Shelly told me to fly you on ahead," Aogiri admitted quietly. "But I figured that was a no go when I saw you were drunk. I should've realized she wouldn't have mentioned it unless it was important, especially since she flew you off the boat early before."

Matsubusa paused before he glanced up at Aogiri. "She... told you that?"

"Yeah, but she never said why," Aogiri sighed. "After what happened just now... I think I've got a pretty good idea why she prescribed you tranquilizers just in case."

Matsubusa looked at Aogiri for several moments before he turned his attention to the wash cloth, watching as the pirate continued to bathe him. "...That would've been more useful than the alcohol."

"Yeah," Aogiri murmured as he focused on stroking Matsubusa's stomach with the washcloth in slow circles. "I'm really kicking myself that I didn't do things different in probably a million ways." He pressed his forehead against Matsubusa's. "I'm sorry. I'm really, truly sorry, Matsubusa."

Matsubusa blushed lightly, the feeling of Aogiri's forehead against his own and the soft rubbing against his stomach sending a strange warmth through him. "I... Aogiri..."

Though Aogiri was tempted to turn the bath into something more, he kept his touch chaste as he worked his way lower. "I'm going to make it up to you. I promise."

Matsubusa hesitated before his face turned a darker shade of red. "I... I'll hold you to that."

Aogiri nodded before placing a soft kiss on Matsubusa's forehead.

Matsubusa's heart beat quickly in his chest, each gentle touch sending his body temperature skyrocketing. It went a long way with chasing away the lingering cold in his body, assisting the warm water around him. He enjoyed the contact for a moment, before a nagging thought suddenly entered his mind. "...Did I... say anything?"

Aogiri's hand went still against Matsubusa's thigh for a few seconds before he resumed scrubbing. "Yeah."

Even through the haze, Matsubusa caught the hesitance. The redhead paused before he looked away, focusing on the far wall. The memory of what had happened came back in to focus – the escape, the water, and the inevitable blackout. He could only imagine what he had said. Even if he didn't remember the words, and never did, it wasn't hard to guess. "...I... I see."

Aogiri slipped his arms around Matsubusa's waist and pulled the other man closer. "I had no idea... no idea at all." He exhaled deeply as he closed his eyes. "I'm so sorry."

Matsubusa's emotions churned up inside him, warmth mingling with cold in an unpleasant conflict. "S-so... so it'd appear that I'm a bit more than you bargained for. I... suppose that's the end of it, then?"

Aogiri jerked upright, his eyes flying open with shock. "What? Hell no!"

Matsubusa paused at that, a bit surprised by the outburst. He thought back to the grunts he had overheard gossiping outside his door, and his eyes drifted to his feet as his toes stuck up out of the water. "...I overheard members of your crew discussing their hope that you would f-f... f-f-finish your business with me and then get rid of me at the nearest port as quickly as possible. After this, I'd imagine..."

Aogiri frowned before pulling Matsubusa as close to his body as possible. "Whoever said that doesn't know me at all. I'm not the kind of guy to give up on someone just because things get tough – I rise to that challenge and punch it square in the mouth!" He gently cupped Matsubusa's cheek with a soapy hand. "Look, right now I'm feeling like an absolute asshole for triggering some really bad PTSD in you, so now's the time to pretty much get me to do whatever you want, but that _doesn't_ mean my feelings for you have changed at all."

Matsubusa was quiet for a moment before he turned to look at Aogiri. His eyes felt moist, surely because of the water around him and in no way related to the feelings inside him. "...Not at all. Not even slightly."

Aogiri gazed deeply into Matsubusa's vibrant red eyes and saw the pain in them. "I love you, Matsubusa. I've been in love with you for a while now, and it's only getting stronger the more I get to know you. There's nothing that happened today that made me feel anything but how much I love you."

Matsubusa's blush deepened across his face and down his neck, his heart thundering in his chest. He felt liquid continuing to form in his eyes, unbidden. "H-how can you even say that...?"

Aogiri's mouth quirked upward a little. "Because all I want to do right now is make you smile, and laugh, and keep you by my side. Not to mention the fact that I'm fighting hard not to kiss or seduce you until you're feeling better so I can make sure your first times are nothing less than _amazing_."

Matsubusa's eyes widened before he quickly looked away, his blush vivid against his skin. "I-I doubt it'd be _that_ amazing-!"

Aogiri chuckled before nuzzling Matsubusa's neck, his beard tickling the other man's throat. "Oh good, then I get to have fun surprising you with how _good_ I'm going to make you feel."

Matsubusa squeaked at the sensation and quivered, his hands moving to press against his chest, as if he were keeping his heart from bursting out. "D-don't make promises you can't keep!"

Aogiri shifted until he met Matsubusa's gaze, his expression just a little mischievous. "Oh, trust me, I plan on making _damn_ sure I'll keep _this_ promise."

Matsubusa blushed furiously as he held his hands firmly against his chest. "A-ah..."

Aogiri took one of Matsubusa's hands in his own and squeezed gently. "And how I plan on doing that is by making sure to listen to what _you_ want."

Matsubusa's hand trembled in Aogiri's own before the fingers curled tightly around the pirate's hand. "Is... that so..."

"It's a promise," Aogiri said before he kissed the back of Matsubusa's hand only to cough and stick his tongue out. "Ick. Forgot about the soap."

Matsubusa blinked, before he let out a 'snrk', attempting to disrupt a laugh that nearly escaped him.

Aogiri used the spray of water from above to rinse his mouth before cocking an eyebrow at Matsubusa. "Oh? You think that's funny, do you?"

Matsubusa moved his hand to cover his mouth, though he was careful not to directly touch it due to the soap. His hand barely hid his smirk, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "D-did I say that?"

"I heard that laugh," Aogiri said as he ran his fingertips across Matsubusa's stomach lightly.

Matsubusa squeaked as he sat up, his hands instinctively going to shield his stomach. "A-ahyah-!?"

Aogiri chuckled. "Oh, so you're _ticklish_, eh?"

Matsubusa huffed as he scowled at Aogiri, shielding his stomach. "N-no, I'm not!"

Aogiri pecked one of the redhead's flushed cheeks. "Oh yeah? Then why don't you let me at your stomach? If you're not ticklish, it won't feel like anything but rubbing."

"N-no! You...," Matsubusa paused, his eyes darting about before focusing on Aogiri again. "Y-you've... you've got other places to wash! You've got other places to wash!"

Aogiri couldn't help but snicker, but picked up the washcloth again all the same. "Alright, alright. Since you asked so nicely..."

"I-I'm just reminding you," Matsubusa said, side-eying Aogiri even as he continued to guard his stomach.

Aogiri brushed his cheek against Matsubusa's before he went back to cleaning the redhead's thighs. "Don't worry, I wouldn't forget about touching every inch of your sexy body."

Matsubusa felt his heart skip a beat and he jerked. "N-no, it's washing! _Washing_!"

"Of course it is," Aogiri chuckled, steadily working his way lower. "If it wasn't, believe me, you'd know it. I've got a _lot_ of juicy ideas about how to make you writhe and moan my name."

Matsubusa quivered, his toes curling. "T-that's..."

Aogiri placed a kiss on Matsubusa's shoulder. "But that's for later. Right now, we're focusing on relaxing and enjoying each other's company, which is also really damn amazing."

Matsubusa hesitated before he relaxed slightly, turning his eyes to watch Aogiri's hand as he guided the washcloth against his body. "...A-a-'amazing'?"

"Mmm hmm," Aogiri murmured as he worked his way down to Matsubusa's calves. "Just being with you at all always makes my heart race and makes me feel _alive_."

Matsubusa's breathing hitched as he tried not to move his legs, with only his toes curling and uncurling. "A-alive...?"

Aogiri set the washcloth down so that he could cup Matsubusa's cheeks, his touch tender. "Like nothing else has for such a long time. I can't get enough of you. I want you so bad I don't even have words for it."

Matsubusa stared at Aogiri, unable to properly form any words for a moment before he furrowed his brow. "Y-you... you didn't even know my _face_ until now. How can you...?"

Aogiri let out a wry chuckle. "I've always been most attracted to what's up here." He lightly tapped Matsubusa's forehead. "The way you act and think... it's like you're a drug that I can't get enough of. You challenge me and make me feel things that surprise even me."

Matsubusa blinked before he reached up to touch his forehead, brushing his bangs out of his eyes as he did so. "What...?"

Aogiri's expression softened as he gazed deeply into Matsubusa's eyes. "Every time I get some time with you, I see another side of you that surprises and excites me and makes me want more. I want to see _every_ side of you." He softly stroked the leader of Team Magma's cheeks with his thumbs. "What I want is _you_. Not a quick fuck. Not one embarrassing moment to dangle over your head. I want _all_ of you. I want the part of you that grabs me when asleep and won't let go, and hogs all the pillows. I want the childish you that dumps my booze into the ocean and paints dicks on my stuff to laugh in my face. I want the badass you that kicks ass and glares coldly at drunks like they're not even _shit_ to you. I want the brilliant you that keeps one-upping me and shrieks and yells when I get one up on _you_."

Matsubusa trembled, blushing so badly that it made him feel a bit lightheaded, as if all the blood was rushing to his face. "I-I... n-not _all_ the pillows-!"

Aogiri couldn't help but laugh at that reaction, the sound kind. "I love you, Matsubusa. That's not just me teasing you, it's what I really feel." He pressed their foreheads together, his eyes never leaving Matsubusa. "I've fallen hopelessly in love with you, and the more time I spend with you, the deeper I fall, and I'm loving every second of it."

Matsubusa felt his heart pounding in his chest as he stared at Aogiri, his eyes wide. The pirate was so close, he could feel Aogiri's breath against his skin. Everything Aogiri was saying, it left him at a complete loss. He never realized how badly he wanted to hear such words until they had actually been said, and now that they have, he felt as if something inside him had stirred. Without realizing it, the redhead moved forward to eliminate the gap between them, brushing his lips against Aogiri's in their first kiss.

Aogiri's eyes flew open wide as the kiss caught him completely off-guard. Fortunately, he recovered quickly and returned the kiss eagerly, more than ready to lose himself in Matsubusa.

The kiss had caught Matsubusa by surprise just as much as it had Aogiri. When he realized he had done it, the redhead had been filled with the sudden need to retreat. However, those thoughts instantly vanished when the pirate began to respond, returning the gesture. The redhead unthinkingly reached up to press his hands against Aogiri's chest for support, the kiss sending him reeling.

Time ceased to have meaning for Aogiri as the rush of relief, desire, and _love_ mingled together inside of him, overwhelming him and leaving him wanting nothing more than to continue the kiss for as long as Matsubusa would allow or until he ran out of breath, whichever came first.

In the end, it was their lungs that gave in first, and the two had no choice but to end the kiss. It left Matsubusa breathless, gasping for air. As he swallowed the air, Aogiri's taste lingered on his lips. "A-Aogiri..."

Dazed by the kiss more than anything else, a goofy smile appeared on Aogiri's face. "Okay... _that_ was worth waiting for."

Matsubusa swallowed hard before he looked down at his hands, moving them back to hold them protectively against his chest. "A-Aogiri, I-" The redhead then paused as a thought occurred to him, and his eyes darted over to the doorway where he not only saw Dante staring at them but Leviathan as well. The redhead's blush returned in full force as the Feraligatr wiggled her brow at Matsubusa, prompting the man's words to transform in to a jumbled mess of squeaks and shrill noises.

Aogiri couldn't stop himself from laughing at the embarrassed reaction and hugged Matsubusa. "Hey, hey, it's nothing to get embarrassed about. That kiss was _fantastic_!"

Matsubusa covered his face with his hands, unable to properly respond as he could only make more squeaking noises in protest.

Aogiri calmed his laughter to chuckles before he placed small kisses across the back of Matsubusa's hands. "Don't worry, it's just Levi and Dante. They won't judge."

Dante eyed Aogiri, an eyebrow cocked.

Matsubusa quivered as he let out a thin whine. "I-I...!"

Aogiri smiled, his eyes soft. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. It's just us here getting cleaned up and enjoying being together. What could be bad about that?"

Matsubusa hesitated before he tentatively lowered his hands, exposing his mortified face. "I-I've never... done this...!"

"Lucky me!" Aogiri said in a sing-song voice. "That means I get to teach you everything!"

Matsubusa gaped up at Aogiri, his face deep red. "E-e-everything!? W-w-what everything!?"

Aogiri snickered as he lightly brushed his nose against Matsubusa's. "Everything that'll make you _melt_ with pleasure."

Matsubusa's heart beat in his chest so hard that he could feel it in his head. "A-ah... I..."

Aogiri brushed his lips against Matsubusa's cheek, savoring the intense warmth he found there. "I've already got a _ton_ of ideas."

Matsubusa trembled, his breathing hitching. "I-I..."

Dante barked sharply, startling both men out of the moment. He stared unwaveringly at Aogiri, his eyes hard.

Aogiri looked over at the Houndoom before turning back to Matsubusa. "I get the feeling that Dante wants us to hurry up and finish getting cleaned up."

Matsubusa glanced over to his Houndoom, then back to Aogiri. "...I... y-yes, of course..."

Aogiri picked the washcloth back up and added a bit more soap. "Don't worry, I'm not planning on doing anything more than stealing a few more kisses from you for now." He emphasized his point by suddenly leaning in to press his lips against Matsubusa's.

Matsubusa jumped, his eyes widening as he made a startled sound. He stared at Aogiri as his face burned furiously, before he quickly looked away. "Y-you keep doing that, and you'll get tired of it!"

Aogiri chuckled before placing a peck on Matsubusa's flushed cheek. "Not a chance in _hell_."

* * *

Somehow, Matsubusa managed to get through the bath with only minor flirting from Aogiri. It was clear that the pirate wanted to jump his bones badly, but Aogiri still kept it all in check as he tended to the redhead and finished cleaning him under Dante's watchful stare. Soon enough, the two were dried and dressing in the bedroom, with Matsubusa carefully putting on the clean clothes he still had in his luggage – what little was _left_, at any rate.

"So, anything special I need to know for aftercare?" Aogiri asked as he zipped up his wetsuit.

Matsubusa blinked as he straightened up. "Aftercare...?"

"For PTSD," Aogiri said, making vague gestures in the air. "I've never known anybody who's had it before, so I don't have any experience here, but I want to do my damn best to help you recover."

Matsubusa hesitated before he looked away. "H-Homura... mostly cooks something for me."

Aogiri placed a kiss on the crown of Matsubusa's head. "Sounds good. I'll have Matt whip up whatever you like, and we'll just relax and eat in bed snuggled up together."

Matsubusa reached up to grab his collar as he blushed. "I... y-yes, that... f-fine. I won't.. I wouldn't complain too much, I... suppose."

Aogiri slid his arms around Matsubusa's waist once he finished dressing. "Good, because I plan on making up for what happened in more ways than you can probably imagine."

Matsubusa trembled before he leaned back against Aogiri, enjoying the contact. "J-just... no more water."

Aogiri's smile faded a little before he kissed Matsubusa's hair. "No more water."

Matsubusa's heart fluttered in his chest. "...Good."

Aogiri released Matsubusa, stepping back before giving the redhead's shoulders a squeeze. "You wait right here, and I'll go fetch us some grub."

Matsubusa opened his mouth, about to respond, when the floor beneath him suddenly creaked and shifted, causing him to wobble a couple of steps. When everything righted himself, he waited for a moment, half-expecting it to happen again, as he looked around with a suspicious frown. "What was-"

Before the redhead could even finish the statement, Leviathan was suddenly upon him. Moving up behind Matsubusa, the enormous Feraligatr spooned the leader of Team Magma before propping her head against the top of his own. Matsubusa had barely enough time to yelp when Leviathan began rubbing her chin back and forth vigorously, ruffling the redhead's hair.

"Ack-! Stop! What!?" Matsubusa yelped as he flailed and unsuccessfully tried to push the heavyweight Pokemon away. "What are you doing!?"

Leviathan held firm, easily resisting the Team Magma leader's attempts to dislodge her as she grinned and rumbled in pleasure.

Dante let out a warning growl as he glared at Leviathan, but made no move to attack, his body tense.

Aogiri laughed at Leviathan's antics. "Aw, don't be upset, Masky. That's just Levi's way of showing she loves you too!"

"W-what?! B-but I-" Matsubusa began, then squeaked when the Feraligatr snaked her arms around him and hugged him tightly. The redhead gasped as he could feel the sheer amount of power in the hug, but also the amount of control Leviathan was exerting to avoid crushing him. "Aaaagh, your body's _cold_!"

Leviathan snapped her jaw together, clicking her teeth, as she rumbled.

Aogiri chuckled and reached out to stroke Leviathan's snout. "Ah, don't worry, it doesn't take long to get used to a Feraligatr hug. They're tons of fun!"

Matsubusa shivered as he squirmed in Leviathan's arms. "T-that's not the point!"

"Oh yeah?" Aogiri asked lightly.

"W-why i-is she hugging me!?" Matsubusa demanded, his face red.

"Because she loves you, of course," Aogiri chuckled. "Didn't I just say that?"

"B-b-b-but that doesn't make any sense!" Matsubusa protested, his voice raising in pitch as a blush spread across his face.

Aogiri moved in to place a peck on Matsubusa's lips. "It makes perfect sense to me, beautiful."

Matsubusa jerked at the sudden kiss, his eyes widening. He covered his mouth with both hands, the red of his blush spreading down his neck and to the tips of his ears.

A sudden knock on the door startled the two men, Matsubusa in particular. A moment later, a woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a body that rocked the Team Aqua uniform she was wearing peeked in through the door. "Everybody decent?"

Matsubusa looked over sharply to the woman, his eyes wide. He naturally didn't recognize her, but he didn't expect to. All he needed to know was that she was one of Aogiri's grunts. "E-eh?!"

"As decent as it gets, Paula," Aogiri chuckled. "What's up?"

Paula wheeled in a serving cart with a number of dishes resting on top. "Matt sent me here with some soup for Masky."

"Soup?" Matsubusa repeated before he turned his attention to the cart, where he saw the bowl in question – covered with a lid to keep it hot. At the sight and scent of the food, his stomach rumbled in a reminder that he had puked up whatever food he had eaten earlier.

Aogiri grinned. "Perfect timing."

Paula gave Matsubusa a little wave. "And while you're eating, I hope you won't mind if Ushio borrows Aogiri for a little bit. He's on the d... top floor."

Aogiri raised his eyebrows before he flashed Matsubusa a grin. "Don't worry, I'll make it quick. Levi and Paula can keep you and Dante company while I check this out."

Matsubusa glanced at the food, then over to Aogiri and Paula. In particular, he focused on Paula and how friendly she seemed to be with Aogiri. He rather forcibly shoved down the dark feelings that brewed inside him, especially since he saw how well it ended _last time_. "I-I don't care at all! I-I can certainly take care of myself! There's n-no reason for you to even mention it!"

Aogiri brushed his lips against Matsubusa's cheek. "Glad to hear it."

Matsubusa fidgeted, his hand reaching up to hook his fingers over the edge of his collar, his other wrapping around to cradle his elbow. He glanced at Aogiri out of the corner of his eyes, his red still firmly crimson in color.

"I love you," Aogiri murmured as he gazed deeply into Matsubusa's eyes. "Remember that, okay?"

Matsubusa's eyes widened as he stared at Aogiri, then quickly looked away as he tugged harshly on his collar. The heat in his face rose exponentially, and he didn't trust himself to say anything in response.

Aogiri smiled at the reaction and kissed the leader of Team Magma one more time until he headed for the door. "Just relax and enjoy some comfort food."

"H-h-hurry up and leave!" Matsubusa stammered, fidgeting with his collar. "Y-you're just delaying!"

Aogiri chuckled and blew Matsubusa a kiss. "Right, right. Be back in a flash!"

Paula waited until Aogiri left the room before letting out a giggle. "Oh gosh, you two are just _adorable_!"

Matsubusa frowned after Aogiri before he turned to stare at Paula. "E-eh?"

"I have to admit I was a little worried," Paula said, "but I'm glad to see you actually do return Aogiri's feelings after all."

Matsubusa gaped at the blonde woman before he sputtered, practically yanking at his collar as he looked away. "I-I... w-wh-why would you-w-who said I-!?"

Paula laughed a little more. "You don't have to be embarrassed, sugar. Everyone'll be thrilled to hear that you're sweet on the big lug."

Matsubusa trembled, only able to respond with a mortified squeak.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you embarrassed," Paula said. "Do you need me to step out for a sec while you collect yourself?"

Matsubusa swallowed hard as he tried to regain his composure, and turned his attention to the food. "I... I'm fine! I'm p-perfectly fine!"

Paula smiled. "Glad to hear it."

* * *

It didn't take Aogiri long to find Ushio out on deck, as the larger man was hard to miss. He frowned at the sight of binoculars in Ushio's hand and quickened his pace. "What's up?"

Ushio turned to Aogiri before he handed the binoculars over to his captain, then wordlessly pointed far in the horizon.

Aogiri looked through the binoculars as directed and spat out a curse. Dark gray clouds covered the horizon, quite visible against the blue ocean. "A storm is headed our way. Of course. The last thing Masky needs right now comes rushing to our door."

"It's nothin' too serious for the ship," Ushio said as he cracked his neck. "But if he can't handle _calm_ water, there's no way he can handle it durin' a storm."

"Damn it," Aogiri hissed as he passed the binoculars back to Ushio. "Looks like we'll be needing those tranqs Shelly gave after all." He grimaced. "And that means telling Masky he's on a boat and risking triggering his PTSD again. Shit."

"Or you can do what the doc ordered in the first place and get 'im off the boat," Ushio said, arching an eyebrow. "Smaug'd get ya both to the base before the storm even got close."

Aogiri grunted as he rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, but that means leaving all of you without a captain at the mercy of a nasty storm."

Ushio blinked slowly before he leaned forward until he was eye level with Aogiri. He then reached up to jab his pointer and index finger in to the other man's forehead. "You think _I_ need _help_ weatherin' a _storm_? You forget who taught _you_ how to sail, ya _reformed landlubber_?"

Aogiri blinked at the poke then burst out laughing. "You haven't called me that since I was still wearing stuffy suits every day."

Ushio grinned. "It's been years, yeah. And yer the best damn captain I've ever had, I ain't denying that. But don't you forget who taught ya. I ain't afraid of no storm. Hell, it'd do the boat some good, clean the puke off the deck."

Aogiri stifled a snicker behind his hand. "Admit it, you just want to get rid of me so you can raid my stash while I'm gone."

Ushio leaned back to let out a deep-chested laugh. "Bwa_ha_! From what I hear, there ain't much left!"

"True enough," Aogiri said.

Ushio leaned back, crossing his arms. "...Don't worry about us, cap'n. We'll be fine. But we all know Masky ain't gonna be, and you got a responsibility to him right now. He didn't choose to be here, y'know?"

Aogiri's smile faded a bit. "Aye... I better get a move on before the storm is on top of us."

* * *

As Aogiri hurried back to his cabin, he couldn't help but agonize over how he was going to deliver the bad news to Matsubusa without risking sending the redhead into another panic attack. He was so deep in thought, he didn't notice the voices inside his room until his hand was on the knob.

"-could never accept the idea that a tiny group of elitist _thugs_ hiding in a tower all the way in Kalos could monopolize Mega Evolution, as if they have any authority over who has the _right_ to use it. And naturally, they only give that right to people _they_ deem worthy based off their own standards – and _never_ any _foreigners_," Matsubusa's voice came from within the room, and it was obvious to Aogiri that a look of disdain was on his face without even having to see it. "It's so _typical_."

"I've never even _heard_ of Mega Evolution," Paula said, smiling as she leaned forward against the table, watching as Matsubusa ate. "It sounds like a fairy tale."

"I'm not surprised," Matsubusa said with a sniff. "Few people have. There's a complete monopoly, not only on the technique but all information about it. It's just one more tool that the elites use to set themselves apart from the 'common masses'."

Aogiri couldn't help but smile. Paula had a way of charming all kinds of people after working for years as a waitress.

"But what can you do?" Paula asked, tilting her head.

"I'm glad you asked!" Matsubusa said as he pointed dynamically at the woman. "It's not public information, but Kazan Industries is currently working on a top-secret project to-"

"You know," Aogiri said as he entered the room, "I'd love to hear all about juicy secrets, but I'm afraid we're pressed for time right now."

Matsubusa jerked and looked up quickly to Aogiri, startled. At the sight of the pirate, he quickly looked away, face red. "I-I... I wasn't talking to you, anyway!"

Aogiri chuckled for a moment, but quickly sobered as he approached Matsubusa. "There's a storm coming, so I need you to make a choice." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the bottle of pills. "Shelly gave me these tranqs so you can sleep if you need them, or we can fly by Pokémon at breakneck speed to try and reach land before the storm hits."

Matsubusa paused and turned to look at the bottle of pills in Aogiri's hand before he looked up to the pirate's face, seeing his serious expression. He opened his mouth to respond when he paused. "...'Reach land'?"

"Yeah," Aogiri said, his voice soft and sober. "I didn't want to tell you while you were still not doing so hot, but you're on the Team Aqua main ship. I can promise you, she'll weather any storm the sea tosses at her, but if you can handle flying over the ocean better than sleeping through the storm here, then we need to get going now."

Matsubusa's eyes widened as he stared at Aogiri. He hesitated for a moment before his eyes darted around the room. It was then that he began to notice how familiar it was, in particular the mound of pillows on the bed. He stared at the bed before he whirled back to Aogiri, panic flooding his face. "I-I'm on that boat again!?"

Aogiri placed his hands on Matsubusa's shoulders and gazed deeply into the other man's eyes. "Matsubusa, breathe. You're safe. This ship isn't going to sink. Levi and Dante are here so no Sharpedo are going anywhere near you. Just breathe."

Matsubusa latched on to Aogiri's arms, his eyes darting from the pirate to Leviathan and Dante as they drew closer. He could see the concern on their faces, and even on Paula's, but he was finding it difficult to be moved by it. "N-no boats! No _boats_!"

"Can you handle flying over the ocean on the back of a Pokémon?" Aogiri asked. "This is a longer distance than you flew with Goliath, and a heck of a lot faster, so I need to know if you can handle it."

"I-I... yes!" Matsubusa said, grasping Aogiri tightly. Even if he wasn't entirely certain if he could or not, he'd rather do it than remain on a boat any longer than he needed to.

Aogiri moved in to place a kiss on Matsubusa's forehead. "Okay, then we'll leave whenever you're ready."

"Now!" Matsubusa said, his fingers clenching at the fabric of Aogiri's wetsuit.

Aogiri nodded and glanced at Paula. "Ushio is in charge while I'm gone. Spread the word."

Paula nodded as she stood it. "You got it, captain~!"

Matsubusa watched as Paula hurried out of the room before he turned his attention to Aogiri. He felt as if his feet were about to collapse beneath him, and he held ever tighter to the pirate's arms. "A-Aogiri, I..."

Aogiri smiled gently as he looked into Matsubusa's eyes. "It's going to be okay. We'll keep you safe, Matsubusa. I promise."

Matsubusa hesitated, then furrowed his brow. "...I-I'll... hold you to that..."

The trip to the deck didn't take long, but dread grew in Matsubusa's heart every step of the way. Aogiri was patient with the redhead, letting Matsubusa clutch so tightly on his left arm that he was beginning to lose circulation.

Wordlessly, Aogiri took a couple Pokéballs from a hidden compartment in his wetsuit and looked to his partner. "Sorry, Levi, but you're too big for Smaug, so you'll have to sit on the sidelines for a while."

Leviathan nodded her head, signaling her understanding of the situation. She turned to flash Dante a grin before she moved to press her chin against the top of Matsubusa's head again. The redhead yelped as Leviathan moved her chin to ruffle his hair, then lifted her head and snapped her jaws at Aogiri.

Aogiri grinned and tossed one of the Pokéballs into the air, summoning Smaug, his Salamence.

Matsubusa reached up to fix his hair, then stopped to stare at the Salamence, who was red with black highlights. The redhead was silent for several moments as he gawked at the unknown Pokémon before he turned his head to stare at Aogiri. "You... really do have more than one Pokémon..."

Aogiri smirked at Matsubusa as he recalled Leviathan to her own Pokéball. "Can't be tournament champion without a full set of six, can you? Remind me to introduce you to my whole team sometime."

"But you... you've never used them!" Matsubusa protested, moving one hand to gesture towards Dante. "Why have you never used them!?"

Aogiri winked as he pointed at Leviathan's Pokéball. "Type advantage, of course. Levi can handle Dante's burn like a champ. Plus she called permanent dibs."

"What does that even _mean_!?" Matsubusa snapped, hotly. "B-besides that all this time, even if Dante had defeated her, you'd just pull someone else out!?"

Aogiri shrugged. "Well, duh. Punk called dibs on the trade off."

"Who the hell is _Punk_!?" Matsubusa demanded.

Aogiri glanced up at the sky before he climbed onto Smaug's back. "Tell you what, once we get to base, I'll let everyone out for a big party, but right now, we need to jet." He reached out to Matsubusa. "Come on."

Matsubusa hesitated, his anger momentarily quelled. He glanced to the sky, spotting the darkened storm clouds that littered the horizon. The redhead grimaced, then turned back to Aogiri and tentatively accepted his hand.

Aogiri pulled Matsubusa in front of him and slid his arms around the redhead's waist from behind. "You might wanna recall Dante. Goliath is fast, but he's got _nothing_ on Smaug here."

Smaug let out a rumble as he gave Matsubusa a toothy smirk.

Dante snorted smoke as he eyed Smaug before he did an impressive flip to land lightly beside Matsubusa.

Matsubusa blushed as he felt Aogiri flat up against his back, with Dante moving to occupy the space in front of him. He turned his head back to eye the pirate. "Don't underestimate my Dante."

Aogiri chuckled at the two. "Okay, okay. Smaug would catch Dante before he hit the water anyway, right Smaug?"

Smaug let out a loud roar as he spread his wings. His crouching was the only warning Aogiri got to tighten his hold on Matsubusa before the dragon Pokemon tore through the sky at blazing speeds.

Matsubusa could barely let out a squeak as both his words and his breath was lost to the gushing winds around him.

Ushio reached up to wave his hands after Aogiri and Matsubusa, smirking. "See ya later, cap'n! Try not to get _too_ frisky in the meantime, ya get me!?"

Aogiri was unable to reply or even hear Ushio call after them, as Smaug was soon just a dot on the horizon.


	9. Chapter 9

Junsar leaned back in her chair, causing it to creak noisily – much like the rest of her body. She sighed heavily before she grabbed her cup of coffee, bringing it close to take a sip. As she did, her eyes drifted to the clock, noting that it was still only mid-day. It felt like much more time had passed, but that was to be expected.

An officer passed by the open door to Junsar's office, pausing to stick their head in. "Hey, chief, did you see that video going around online of the Team Aqua leader nabbing Kazan on the beach? It's a riot!"

Junsar cracked a sly smirk as she glanced over to the officer. "Well, at least Mr. Kazan's assistant will be _reassured_ that his boss is _alive_."

"There's already remixes of the footage on Pokétube," the officer said. "Check out the one with Senri's theme song. It's amazing!"

Junsar snorted through her nose. "Just watch. Next, I'll be getting a call about pressing charges against Pokétube."

The officer let out a snicker. "Wouldn't be the first time."

"I guess I'll hold off on having the glass fixed, just in case," Junsar said as she set her coffee down.

"Oh yeah," the officer said. "The coast guard thinks the video has narrowed down where the Team Aqua base might be. The report should be on your desk sometime this evening."

"Just in time for the storm to hit," Junsar said, dryly. "I guess we'll want to check out the area bright and early tomorrow morning, after it's passed."

"Or even in a couple days," the officer said. "The weather's getting so nasty even the coast guard had to pack up the search and focus on prepping for the storm."

"Oh lovely, I'm _really_ going to hear about it now," Junsar said with a heavy sigh. "As if I don't have better things to do..."

The sudden ringing of the phone on Junsar's desk interrupted the conversation.

"Speak of the devil," the officer said. "That's my cue to leave. Good luck, chief!"

Junsar sighed heavily as she rolled her eyes, both at the call and at the mock salute from her officer as he left, then reached for her phone. She waited several moments, letting the phone ring, before she finally answered it. "Junsar speaking."

The smooth baritone voice on the other end of the line froze Junsar's blood. "Ah, Junsar, it's been a long time since our last chat, hasn't it?"

Chief Junsar jerked, nearly dropping the phone as her eyes widened. She was struck momentarily speechless, sucking in her breath as if she had been punched in the stomach.

A breathy chuckle ended the brief gap of silence. "I do hope this is a good time to talk. I have pressing matters I wish to discuss."

Junsar swallowed hard, finally managing to find her voice. "Y-you."

"'You'?" the voice repeated lightly. "Don't tell me you've forgotten the name of your old and dear friend."

Junsar grimaced, her mouth going dry. "M-Mr. Takakami." There was no doubt who it was in her mind, it was a voice that she knew from the bottom of her heart. The man on the other line was none other than Sakaki Takakami, the CEO of Silph Co. At least, that's how the public knew him, but she unfortunately knew him even better than that.

"That's better," Sakaki said. "Now then, let's get down to business, shall we? I've heard that you're in charge of the Kazan kidnapping case."

Junsar paused, then frowned. "I... y-yes, I am."

"As I'm sure you're no doubt aware," Sakaki said, "My company is currently working on a very lucrative partnership with Kazan Industries. The loss of its CEO would be most problematic at this stage for me. I do hope you're doing everything in your power to rescue him as quickly as possible."

Junsar's jaw dropped for a moment as horror flooded her, before she quickly gathered her composure – as best she could. "O-of... of course! We're combing the waters quite tirelessly. We're taking Mr. Kazan's safety _very_ seriously."

"So I've heard," Sakaki said. "Laughing through the pain at seeing the internet lampoon a victim of a kidnapping must be quite difficult."

Junsar froze, her eyes wide.

Though Sakaki's tone was casual, Junsar could practically _feel_ his smile. "Why, if someone didn't know you as well as I do, say Mr. Kazan's assistant Homura, they might think that you find this case beneath you. Perhaps even that Kazan was at fault." He chuckled without humor. "Of course, everyone should know that the police chief is above blaming the victim of a crime, don't you think?"

Junsar tried to form words, but all she could do was make a strangled noise in her throat.

Sakaki let out a breath that was almost laughter. "By the way, you really should get that door replaced soon. You never know who might be listening in on your private conversations."

Junsar fought the urge to hang up the phone, knowing full well that it was the _worst_ thing she could possibly do. Her palms had grown moist as her body perspired, sweat trickling down the back of her neck. "I... I understand."

"Excellent," Sakaki said. "Do keep me posted on your progress. I trust the Kanto police will make this case their highest priority."

"A-absolutely," Junsar said, her voice rough. "I'll put every available officer on the case."

"I'm glad to hear it," Sakaki said. "A pleasure as always, Junsar."

The dial tone left no room for Junsar to respond, though the sound had never been more of a relief to the police chief.

Shakily, Junsar set down the phone back in its receiver. She sat at her desk for several moments, staring blankly at the wall before she slowly rested her elbows on her desk and buried her face in her hands. "_Shit_."

* * *

It was a challenge for Tabitha to find a wide enough patch of ground to land on. The island Team Aqua chose for their base was covered in trees and jagged rocks, which served to hide the signs of civilization from a distance. Both men felt relieved once the helicopter touched down, especially Homura, who was going out of his mind with worry.

Homura quickly jumped out of the helicopter and reached for his belt, releasing his Talonflame. Blaze appeared with a flash of light, in front of the helicopter.

Tabitha immediately followed suit, leaving his Pokémon in its ball for the moment. There wasn't much room for a Camerupt to maneuver among such precarious rocks and trees.

"They're obviously going to be waiting for us," Homura said, his voice tense as he moved quickly along the rocks. "And I can't guarantee they won't target the helicopter."

"Then we'll steal a boat," Tabitha said, his voice like steel. "Or we'll take _their_ leader hostage."

Homura nodded, his expression as hard as Tabitha's voice. He silently slipped his hand in to the inside of his shirt, grabbing his gun to confirm its readiness inside the holster around his chest.

The entrance to the base was well hidden among the greenery, but Homura and Tabitha were skilled at finding secrets people wished to keep hidden. The lack of guards sent off alarms in their heads, which only grew louder when they realized the door was completely unlocked.

"I don't like this," Tabitha muttered.

Homura's eyes narrowed. "They're _definitely_ waiting for us."

The image of a certain woman with intense eyes, vibrant red lips, and a blue streak in her hair flashed in Tabitha's mind, bringing an unwelcome warmth to his face. He quickly shook off inappropriate thoughts as he returned his focus entirely on rescuing Matsubusa. "Right."

Homura glanced over to Tabitha before he turned to Blaze. While he could already visualize the sassy redhead that was no doubt waiting for him, her smirk plastered across her face, he was far more concerned about Matsubusa. He didn't know what they intended to do to him, but _he_ fully intended to save Matsubusa from that fate. He had already let their leader down once – _never_ again. "Are you ready?"

Tabitha nodded as he held up his Pokéball.

Homura nodded, more to himself than Tabitha, before he drew his gun and approached the door. As he stood poised, he raised his hand. Behind him, Blaze took to the air, flapping upwards to gain some height. Then, as Homura then made a sweeping gesture to the obstacles, the Talonflame swooped forward and slammed in to it, blowing the doors directly off their hinges with a _bang_, the twisted metal flying inward.

The two admins wasted no time in charging forward, bracing themselves for the worst. Instead, they only found an empty hallway, barely lit by overhead lights. The nearby open doors revealed empty, darkened rooms, devoid of anyone - human or Pokémon.

Homura paused before he frowned, his eyes scanning the room suspiciously. He knew there had to be _someone_ lying in wait for their arrival, he just didn't know _where_. There really wasn't any point to these games, considering the situation, but it seemed that Team Aqua very rarely cared about things like that.

Tabitha met Homura's gaze before pointing at the light fixtures then up ahead towards an intersection. Two hallways that branched off the one they were in were darkened, while one was lit. "Looks like an invitation to me," he said lowly.

Homura nodded, his expression grim. Wordlessly, he moved forward, following the lights. He had no doubt Matsubusa's captors were prepared for a confrontation, the only question was whether or not they'd keep the redhead with them or store him somewhere else.

For all the tension and anticipation that had built up within the two men, it was almost a letdown to find that the lights brought them to a comfortable lounge, where Shelly and Izumi were sitting in plush easy chairs, surfing the internet on their Pokédexes while enjoying some snacks.

Homura stopped in the doorway, his gun in one hand and his Talonflame by his side. He stared at both Shelly and Izumi, his expression hard. Even their strange demeanor wasn't enough to quell him. "...What a surprise."

Shelly lifted her head and gave a slight wave to the Team Magma members. "Oh, hey, you two finally managed to find a place to land, did you? Hope you don't mind that we made ourselves comfy while waiting for you. You two went way over the time estimates we were betting on."

Tabitha felt an unpleasant heat build on his face, as the remark felt like a crack at his skills as a pilot. "Your damn island had no safe place to land! I was lucky to get it down at all!"

Izumi grinned as she folded her fingers together, resting her elbow on her lap. "Well, that _was_ the _point_. It'd be pretty suspicious for an abandoned rock to have a helicopter pad, you know."

"Where's Matsubusa?" Homura asked, impatient. He was in no mood to banter with them.

"Not here, obviously," Shelly said before stretching her arms over her head.

Homura narrowed his eyes. "...'Not here'."

Shelly lightly tapped her Pokédex. "I got word from Aogiri that the two of them touched down on land already and are going to wait out the storm there."

Tabitha blinked. "Wait, what storm?"

Izumi held up her Pokédex, flashing a picture of a weather radar at them. "The storm that you would've seen heading our way, if you hadn't been so focused on _us_."

Tabitha was at Izumi's side in an instant, examining the radar images and news reports that went with them. "Shit! That storm is huge!"

"It's just your usual off-shore storm," Izumi said, lightly. She glanced up to Tabitha, a sly grin on her face at how close he had gotten. "A lot of rain and thunder, but a sturdy base takes out most of the bite."

"Don't worry, _Masky_ is safe," Shelly said. "Our bases are built to stand up to monsoons, tsunamis, legendary attacks, you name it." She paused and cocked her head slightly as she held up her Pokédex, which showed security monitor images, including of the doorway the two men destroyed. "Unless someone breaks down a door when it wasn't locked or reinforced."

Homura gave a start at Shelly using their infamous nickname for the leader of Team Magma. He stared at the redhead for several moments as things finally clicked in to place. It explained why there wasn't a ransom demand, why they were so determined to hunt him down. Everything made sense, and Matsubusa's situation became that much worse – and Homura's tolerance that much less.

"...So what you're saying is that Matsubusa isn't here." Homura said, more to himself than Shelly and Izumi. He turned swiftly on his heels, heading back to the doorway.

Shelly bolted upright. "Did you hear what I said? Matsubusa is _safe_! Just wait out the storm here and go pick him up afterward!"

Tabitha reached Homura first, grabbing his friend by the arm. "Hey, wait. There's no way we can fly in that storm. The risk of crashing is _way_ too high!"

"He's with _your captain_. I wouldn't call that _safe_," Homura said, without looking at Shelly. He paused before he glanced to Tabitha. "...Blaze can handle it."

Tabitha's eyes shot open wide, revealing his red eyes. "You're going to fly through that storm on _Blaze_? _Have you lost your mind?_!"

Shelly put her hands on her hips as she strode towards the two men. "He already knows about Matsubusa's trauma and has basically called an end to the game. Once the storm is over, Matsubusa can go home whenever he wants."

"There's no way they could've gotten far, so quickly," Homura said. His eyes flickered to Shelly, unsure of what to make of her remark, but ultimately filing it away as _currently_ unimportant. The only important thing was getting to Matsubusa as soon as possible. "It won't take me long to find them."

"Brilliant idea," Shelly said, an edge creeping to her voice. "Let's see if we can make Matsubusa's trauma even worse by having someone else he cares about die at sea trying to reach him. I'm sure that won't have _any_ negative side-effects."

Homura bristled before he finally whirled to face Shelly, his expression livid. "And what would you even know about that!? Or _care_, for that matter!?"

Shelly's red eyes were like flames that burned Homura. "I may not look it, but I'm a fully trained medical professional, so I know a _quite a bit_. And I _care_ because you know damn well this whole rivalry between us is nothing more than a dumb game of seeing who can prank the other the best! No one is supposed to get seriously hurt, and that's why our Boss, the guy you think is scum, called it _off!_"

"And you expect me to believe that!?" Homura demanded, focusing on Shelly even as he tried to pull his arm free from Tabitha. "You _terrorized_ him, chasing him across the city until he was willing to _board a boat_, and then _kidnapped_ him!"

Shelly's expression deadpanned. "Magnum O-Penis."

Homura hesitated at that before he grimaced. "That..."

"Paintballs," Izumi added, crossing her arms.

Shelly jabbed Homura's chest with her finger. "Sexual tension out the _ass_! You can't tell me that you didn't think of this all as just a dumb game between our teams, or that your boss wouldn't have kidnapped ours if given half the chance."

Homura clenched his fists. "T-that's _beside_ the point!"

"The game is _over_!" Shelly shouted, throwing her arms out to her sides. "Aogiri has called this round off after seeing just how bad Matsubusa's trauma is. When the storm is over, he can go home, or you can all have a beach party here on us. You can talk to him over the phone and work out the details, but _no one_ is going anywhere until the storm ends!"

"I hate to admit it," Tabitha sighed, "But she's right. We can't go do anything right now except wait."

"_You_ can wait all you want!" Homura snapped as he whirled to face Tabitha, his expression livid. "_He needs me_! I failed him once already, and I'll be _damned_ if I'll fail him a _second_-"

A hard impact of knuckles colliding with cheek and jaw tore Homura from Tabitha's grip and sent him crashing to the floor. He had only a moment to register the pain, before Shelly was on him, holding him by the collar with one hand and the other cocked into a fist.

"Okay, fine!" Shelly snarled. "If you want to be an idiot, I'll be happy to beat the stupid out of you! I was ready to dance since long before you got here!"

Homura stared up at Shelly from his position on the floor, shock and confusion momentarily flooding his face as a nice bruise settled in where the unexpected punch had sent him tumbling.

Blaze let out a tiny trill, eyes furrowed with worry as he looked between his trainer's prone form and the woman on top of him. He flapped his wings, hopping from foot to foot in obvious agitation.

Shelly yanked Homura closer, so close she mashed their noses together. "Listen up, Bird Brain, because here's how things are going to go down. We are going to call Matsubusa and Aogiri and talk this shit out. Then we're going to repair the door you trashed and get ready to hunker down for the storm. After that, we'll see what happens, but you're not leaving while I'm still conscious, and I guarantee you that before you can knock my lights out, I'll leave you a pile of bloody pulp that has to _ooze_ its way out of the room!"

Homura gaped at Shelly for several moments, completely taken aback. While part of him was rather insistent in arguing with her, he found it hard to really muster the words to do so - especially when both Blaze and Tabitha looked at him so worriedly. Matsubusa's second in command hesitated before his mouth tightened. "...Understood."

Shelly slowly lowered her fist, easing back from Homura, but her eyes never left his. "Good. Now let's make that phone call."

* * *

The ride on Smaug had been mercifully short for Matsubusa. It seemed that no sooner had he heard the rumble of the storm and droplets of water against his skin than he was suddenly in an enclosed dock much like the previous base, with the Salamence swooping in to land on the dock itself. Matsubusa quivered as he held on to the Pokémon, giving himself a chance to register that the trip was over.

Once they had fully landed, Aogiri loosened his grip on Matsubusa to rub the redhead's shoulder. "Land ho."

Matsubusa shivered before he slumped forward. "F-finally..."

Aogiri leaned in to place a kiss on Matsubusa's cheek. "We can sit here for a spell until you're ready to go inside."

Matsubusa was about to respond when a rumble of thunder sent a chill through the redhead. He turned his head to peer over his shoulder at the water just outside the cave entrance, the waves becoming choppy. He trembled again before he scrambled to side off Smaug's back. "Inside, inside, inside!"

Aogiri had been tempted to laugh, but squashed that impulse immediately as he kept in mind that Matsubusa's fear was anything but silly. He made sure to help the leader of Team Magma disembark safely before he hopped off his Pokémon's back.

Dante leapt off Smaug to land lightly beside Matsubusa, barely rumpled by the ride. Instead he focused on nuzzling his face into his trainer's hand and letting out a low, but soothing noise in his throat.

Matsubusa's hand moved to grip Dante's shoulder, feeling comfort in the fuzzy heat he felt there. He took a moment to swallow hard, then glanced at Aogiri before turning to look at the massive doors leading in to the base. "I-I'm fine. I'm... fine."

Aogiri watched Matsubusa closely, noticing when the redhead flinched as he turned the lights on before they entered. "I'll take your word for it, but if you need anything, anything at all, speak up, okay? I'm pretty new to helping out with stuff like this, so if I say or do anything stupid or way out of line, feel free to clock me one."

Matsubusa tightened his grip on his Pokémon, though Dante didn't seem to mind. His eyes darted about the base as he entered, his body slowly releasing the tension in his muscles the further away from the water he went. When the door closed behind him, he jumped, but then seemed to recover enough to straighten up, releasing his hold on the Houndoom. After several moments, he frowned. "Are we... the only ones here?"

"Yup," Aogiri said. "Just you, me, and our Pokémon." He patted Smaug's side for emphasis.

Matsubusa glanced down the dark hallways and noticed how dusty they looked - not filthy, so much as unused. The place had apparently been without visitors for quite some time. He was about to comment on it when something _else_ caught his attention - it meant that Aogiri and Matsubusa were the only two humans there. That thought alone sent a bright red blush to his face. "...O-oh."

Aogiri stepped closer to Matsubusa and kissed the other man's vibrant red hair. "I can let the rest of the gang out now and introduce you to them if you'd like."

Matsubusa's blush deepened as his heart fluttered in his chest. "...If you want."

Aogiri waited until they entered a large lounge area before he flashed Matsubusa a winning smile. "Okay, everybody, it's party time!" With a flourish, he sent five Pokéballs flying into the air, unleashing vibrant flashes of red light that turned into five different Pokemon, only one of which was familiar to Matsubusa - Leviathan.

Aogiri grinned at Matsubusa's startled expression and gestured to his team, starting with a large Pangoro with navy and white fur. "This here is Punk. I believe I mentioned him to you before."

Punk eyed Matsubusa briefly before focusing on Dante, sizing up the Houndoom who returned the favor.

The next Pokemon Aogiri pointed out was a Dragonair with shimmering, luxurious scales of baby blue over white. "This beauty here is Imugi." His hand then drifted to an imposing looking Aggron with black armor over a mostly teal-gray body. "And this bruiser is Colossus."

A Luxray with blue and black fur accented with gold stretched out with a yawn, his mouth full of sparks. Dramatically he flopped over onto his side and rolled away from the gathered group.

"Finally, we've got Aslan," Aogiri said with a chuckle. "As you can see, he can be a big ham when he's trying to tell me he's tired of not battling anyone."

Aslan lashed his tail once in the air, snapping it like a whip, complete with the crack of an electrical spark.

Matsubusa stared at all of the new Pokemon, furrowing his brow. It was a bit bewildering to learn just how much of an advantage Aogiri had over his single Houndoom. Worst of all, he never realized it. "...T-that's fine! I... I don't care _how_ many Pokemon you have! I only need Dante!"

Aogiri chuckled before wrapping his arms around Matsubusa's waist. "Hey, I didn't introduce you to my team to show you or Dante up." He pecked one of the redhead's flushed cheeks. "I just wanted you to meet the family, that's all."

Matsubusa paused at that before he quivered, his blush deepening. "E-er, yes... I... o-o-of course. I'm just... making it clear."

"And of course, you already know Levi," Aogiri said, gesturing at the giant Feraligatr.

Leviathan quickly trotted closer to Aogiri and Matsubusa before standing up on her hindquarters. She learned forward, looking down at the redhead with a big grin on her face.

Matsubusa's arms instinctively went up to shield his head, guarding his hair from the Feraligatr's chin. "...Of course."

Aogiri looked around the room and clapped his hands together. "Okay, since we're on our own here, we're going to have to work together to get any chow tonight."

Matsubusa blinked at that, before he frowned. "...Of course. You certainly can't leave any perishables in an unattended base."

Aogiri smirked. "That's why we've got stuff in the pantry and deep freeze that can last for years if need be, just in case."

Matsubusa turned to eye Aogiri. "So, basically, booze and crackers."

Aogiri burst out laughing. "Hey, my cooking isn't _that_ bad."

Matsubusa wordlessly quirked an eyebrow.

"Okay, I'll admit it," Aogiri said. "When I first started out in my trainer days, my cooking was the only thing that could make Levi quake in fear."

Leviathan made a great show of sticking out her tongue, dropping her jaw so that the pink could be seen among the sea of teeth.

Aogiri snickered at Leviathan before looking back at Matsubusa. "But that was the young, dumb teenage me that could mix up salt and sugar. I learned the hard way how to cook, and I used to make my own secret Pokéchow for my team."

Matsubusa quirked an eyebrow as he looked from Aogiri to his Team of Pokémon. Admittedly, he had no real room to comment on anyone's cooking, as Homura cooked all his meals for him, but he wasn't about to admit to that. It was totally different. "...So you're saying you think you can cook something to please _my_ palate."

Aogiri paused to consider Matsubusa's words. "It depends. If you like home cooking, then you're in luck, but if you're used to having the bar raised Matt-high, then you're gonna have to suffer with peasant food until they arrive tomorrow."

"...I suppose I can handle 'peasant food'," Matsubusa said, dryly. "So long as it's edible."

Aogiri felt a surge of pleasure at seeing Matsubusa's deadpan expression, as it was much better than a look of fear. "Good." He lightly poked Matsubusa's nose. "Because _you're_ going to help make it."

Matsubusa paused at that, his eyes widening. "...Eh?"

Aogiri's grin widened. "Didn't I say it before? _Everyone_ has gotta pitch in here."

Matsubusa's face paled as he stared at the pirate. "I-I... uh, that's..."

Aogiri leaned in closer. "I can't wait to get a sample of your cooking, Masky."

Matsubusa quivered before he looked away, his cheeks tinting. "I-idiot..."

Aogiri dropped his voice into a low rumble as he loomed in close enough for Matsubusa to feel his breath. "Though I must admit I'm hungrier for the _chef_ who'll be making it."

Matsubusa's eyes widened as he jerked, and he whirled to face Aogiri. "E-e-eh!?"

Aogiri took that opportunity to steal a kiss from Matsubusa's lips, his eyes dancing with mischief. "But I can wait. I'm a patient man."

Matsubusa squeaked in to the kiss before his blush deepened, mortification flooding his face. "Y-you...!"

"Yes, _me_," Aogiri said as he ran a finger along Matsubusa's chin.

Matsubusa shivered before he swatted at Aogiri's hand. "N-no cooking is going to happen if you c-can't keep your hands to yourself!"

Aogiri chuckled. "True. My bad." He stole another quick kiss from Matsubusa, grinning at how the redhead squeaked and sputtered. "That'll have to do me for a while."

Matsubusa let out a growl as his face burned, then quickly looked away. He wasn't particularly angry - if anything, he felt the exact opposite. However, he also felt very embarrassed, and the Pokémon watching them didn't help. "I-idiot..."

The insult did nothing to dampen Aogiri's spirits as he took Matsubusa by the hand and led the leader of Team Magma and their Pokémon to the kitchen.

Matsubusa obediently followed Aogiri, his eyes shifting to focus on Aogiri's hand as it held his own. It was firm and warm, his own pale skin quite vivid against the pirate's. It took everything Matsubusa had not to squeeze Aogiri's hand. As tempting as it was, he could only imagine the teasing in store for him if he gave in to the impulse.

The kitchen itself was attached to a large mess hall, which didn't surprise Matsubusa. He could totally see Aogiri and his admins getting completely wasted with the rest of his crew, partying it up without concern. While the redhead himself was protective of his team, he'd never show that much trust for anyone he didn't know intimately - and even then, it took a lot of faith on his part and stubbornness on theirs.

Peering around the kitchen as Aogiri lead him inside, the leader of Team Magma noted that it was a surprisingly modern and sleek set-up. He had been expecting something a bit more primitive, but it looked like something he'd expect from a legitimate restaurant.

Aogiri noticed Matsubusa's look of confusion and snickered. "Hey, when you have the best chef in the world, you don't let him rot away in a fast food joint, you get him the best equipment to work with."

"...How did you manage to acquire all this?" Matsubusa asked, slowly, before he paused. "Ah, of course. You occasionally hijack ships – including cruise ships. You took it from them."

Aogiri let out a cheerful hum as he made his way to the walk-in freezer. "Nah, hijacking cruise ships is just for laughs. Most of this was from _generous_ donations made by some very unscrupulous people who had no reason to hold onto their cash anymore when they were heading off to jail for their crimes."

Matsubusa choked and turned to gawk at Aogiri. "J-just for laughs!?"

Aogiri threw a grin at Matsubusa over his shoulder as he clicked on the light in the freezer, revealing that it was full with all manner of food meant for long-term storage. "Hell yeah! People go on cruises for laughs, and what's more fun than a surprise campy pirate 'attack' where no one gets hurt, trainers get to battle, and everyone goes home with tons of pictures and a great story?"

Matsubusa paused at that before he furrowed his brow. The very idea that Aogiri'd do something so dangerous for such a reason was more than a little baffling - which meant it fit Aogiri perfectly. "...You're completely ridiculous."

Aogiri laughed merrily as he passed parcels and cans to his Pokémon to carry into the kitchen proper. "Why thank you. I pride myself on being able to live life to the funnest."

"'Funnest' isn't a word," Matsubusa grumbled before he turned to examine the rest of the kitchen. The area was a little dusty, but nothing that couldn't be wiped away – much like the rest of the base. "We won't have any meat or vegetables, so it seems we're in for a rather _bland_ dinner."

Leviathan moved up behind Matsubusa to place her chin on his head, letting out a rumbling sound deep in her throat so that it vibrated through her grinning teeth. Behind her, her tail wagged happily.

Matsubusa yelped and reached up to try and push the Feraligatr away, face red. "W-what do you want _now_!?"

Aogiri chuckled. "That's just Levi's way of reminding you there's an entire ocean of fish out there, and she can spit in the face of any storm to catch as much fish as we'd like."

Matsubusa stepped back as he turned to scowl at Leviathan. "Really? I suspect it's more that she just wants to mess up my hair!"

Leviathan snapped her jaws together, still smiling.

Dante moved between Leviathan and Matsubusa, letting out a low growl of warning that didn't carry much weight to it.

Aogiri stroked his chin and pretended to mull over the situation. "That too, probably. You do have gorgeous hair that _begs_ to be played with."

Matsubusa's cheeks tinted as he instinctively reached up to smooth out his hair. "Y-you say such stupid things...!"

Aogiri set down an armload of cans onto one of the counters. "It's because you're too cute not to say them, of course."

Leviathan turned her attention to Dante, her demeanor cheerful as her tail swished about behind her. She snapped her jaws and let out a rumbling noise again, then turned to Aogiri.

"Go ahead," Aogiri said as he made a shooing gesture to the Feraligatr. "Hurry up and nab us a ton of fish before we get a Poke-mutiny on our hands."

Leviathan nodded her head before she turned and dropped down to all fours with a heavy _thunk_. She then lifted herself up on her toes and trotted out with surprising speed, her tail snapping behind her.

Matsubusa watched the Feraligatr leave, then sighed as he lowered his hands. "Honestly, I never know how much of what you say to take seriously."

Aogiri used Matsubusa's momentary inattention to sneak close and slip his arms around the redhead's waist, spooning his beloved Matsubusa. "All the more reason to pay reeeeeeaaaal close attention to me, don't you think?"

Matsubusa jumped, his face turning deep red as he let out a startled squeak. "E-e-eh!?"

Aogiri brushed his lips against the edge of Matsubusa's ear, his voice dropping to a low and throaty rumble. "I know I'm planning on getting _intimately_ familiar with _all_ your turn ons."

Matsubusa's hands reached up to grasp the front of his changshan as he trembled, his heart thundering in his chest. "I-I d-don't have any! At all!"

"Oh?" Aogiri whispered, his warm breath tickling Matsubusa's ear. "So then you _don't_ like me spooning you like this?"

Matsubusa squeaked, his face flushed as his heart thundered in his chest. He struggled for a proper response, but it was becoming unbearably hard to think - and hot. In the end, all he could manage was a high-pitched sputter. "C-cooking! _Cooking_!"

Aogiri couldn't help but chuckle before he kissed Matsubusa's cheek. "Right, right. Better fill up the tank before we start looking for all your turn ons."

Matsubusa could feel Aogiri's lips against his hot cheek, his beard tickling the skin, and it only served to make his temperature rise all the more. "I-I-I'm not a _vehicle_ for you to drive around!"

Aogiri smirked. "No, but you're definitely in for a _ride_ later."

Matsubusa choked before he clasped his hand over his mouth, whirling about to stare at Aogiri as he made an incoherent noise deep in his throat.

Aogiri snickered before kissing the back of the hand that hid Matsubusa's lips from his. "Just so you know, if I ever come on too strong for you to take, just let me know, and I'll adjust my flirting to your needs."

Matsubusa pressed his hand firmly against his mouth, blushing as he trembled. "...Mmf."

Aogiri gave Matsubusa a coy wink before he went off to get some cooking utensils and give the overwhelmed leader of Team Magma a little break.

Matsubusa watched Aogiri leave before he let out a sigh, lowering his hands. It was then that he realized he was being watched, and turned his head to see that they had an audience. Not only was Dante staring at him with a deadpan expression, but that the rest of Aogiri's team had also seen the exchange and were staring at him with varying reactions from confusion to amusement. The redhead bristled before he pointed at the gawking Pokémon. "J-j-j-just what are _you_ staring at!?"

Punk clasped his big black furry claws beside his face and puckered his lips, making loud smooching sounds. A large Pangoro making kissy faces was strange enough without Imugi letting out a cry, her serpentine body going ramrod straight before she fell backwards with a warble in what was unmistakably a swoon.

Matsubusa quivered as his blush practically glowed on his face before he flailed his arm around, pointing wildly at the Pokémon. "S-s-shut up shut up shut up! Shouldn't you be doing something!?"

Aslan regarded Matsubusa before he picked up the edge of a plate with his mouth and rapped it against the counter, his eyes never leaving the redhead.

Matsubusa paused at that as he blinked, then frowned as he drew his hand back. "Huh?"

Aslan raised a paw and stretched it out before his gaze dropped to Matsubusa's hand.

Matsubusa furrowed his brow before his expression deadpanned. "If you're hungry, tell your trainer to stop messing around and focus on actually _cooking_ something."

Aslan rolled his eyes and dropped the plate before he sauntered off to the nearest vent and flopped over onto his side, stomach facing the warm breeze.

Dante snorted smoke as he eyed the Luxray before he went over to Matsubusa and nuzzled his trainer's hand.

Matsubusa hesitated before he moved his hand to rub his Pokémon, then huffed. "Hmph... why am I not surprised they're _his_ Pokémon?"

Aogiri snuck up behind Matsubusa to whisper lowly in the other man's ear. "I have the best family, don't I?"

Matsubusa jumped with a squeal, clasping his hand over his ear as he whipped about to stare Aogiri. "D-don't _do_ that!"

Aogiri flashed Matsubusa a grin as he stepped in close to lightly stroke the redhead's chin. "I can't help myself - I'm addicted to how _strongly_ you react to me."

Matsubusa huffed, his chin trembling beneath Aogiri's touch. "Y-you're not trying very hard."

Aogiri leaned in close enough that his warm breath caressed Matsubusa's lips as he spoke. "You're not complaining, either."

Matsubusa's breathing hitched as he straightened up, his hand moving to grasp at Aogiri's wetsuit. "T-that's..."

"You can, you know," Aogiri said as he gazed deeply into Matsubusa's eyes. "Not that you've ever had a problem with complaining before."

Matsubusa felt like his insides were melting from the heat seeping in to his body. "I-idiot..."

"Nah," Aogiri said as he ran his fingers along the contour of Matsubusa's jaw. "I don't see anything stupid about falling hard for a man like you."

Matsubusa tightened his grip on Aogiri's shirt, using it to keep himself stable as the rest of his body was ready to go limp. It was hard to think, and he was certain that was Aogiri's intention. However, before he could voice it, he was suddenly interrupted by a sickening _slap_ of something being thrown down next to them. Matsubusa jumped with a yelp and instinctively lunged closer to Aogiri, pressing up against his chest as he jerked his head about. The redhead found himself staring at a massive tuna fish flopping about on the floor, multiple injuries on its fleshy body signifying _teeth_ wounds.

And the source of said injuries was none other than the grinning Leviathan, soaking wet and proud as she stood by her prize, tail wagging.

Matsubusa gaped at the Feraligatr, then down at the fish as he kept his grip on Aogiri. "W-what?"

Aogiri let out a low whistle as he admired the magnificent prize. "Great catch, Levi! It's a beaut!"

Leviathan snapped her jaws together happily, positively beaming.

Aogiri looked down at Matsubusa's hands, feeling a rush of pleasure at how the redhead clung to him for security and safety. "Looks like we've got our main course."

Matsubusa didn't seem to register the situation, instead regarding the fish uneasily as he remained close to the pirate. "...That fish?"

"Yup," Aogiri said as he lightly stroked his fingers along Matsubusa's. "I'll clean it as soon as I'm good and ready."

"Clean it? You're going to-" Matsubusa turned his head to Aogiri, then froze as it finally dawned on him close he was and how tightly he was clinging to Aogiri. The redhead stared at his hands before he looked up to the pirate's face, eyes wide. "...Ah."

Aogiri ran his hands down to Matsubusa's wrists, working his way along the other man's arms towards the shoulders. "Oh darn. You noticed. And here I was hoping you'd hang onto me tight all night long."

Matsubusa was torn, his initial instinct being to immediately retract his hands but his body unwilling to comply. Instead, he stood unmoving with his hands still on the pirate's shirt. "...C-can't cook like this."

Aogiri gently massaged Matsubusa's shoulders, enjoying the feel of the Team Magma leader's lithe muscles beneath the silky changshan. "Nope. We sure can't."

Matsubusa shivered at the touch, his breathing hitching. "A-Aogiri, I..."

"Yes?" Aogiri asked, lowering his voice an octave.

Matsubusa paused before he made a frustrated noise in his throat, his fingers curling around the fabric. "B-bastard..."

Aogiri arched an eyebrow. "Come on, that's not what you were going to say and you know it."

Matsubusa looked away as he reached up to cover his mouth with his right hand, making another frustrated noise deep in his throat as his face positively burned with embarrassment.

Aogiri chuckled as he placed a kiss on Matsubusa's flushed cheek. "You are absolutely _adorable_."

Matsubusa's cheek trembled, as did the rest of his body, as he made a soft whining noise. He didn't trust himself enough to remove his hand, not yet.

"You know," Aogiri murmured, "I'd love to stand here and hold each other all night, but we've got a fresh fish that needs cooking before it gets _less_ than fresh and our Pokemon mutiny for food."

Matsubusa blinked as he stared up at Aogiri, then quickly glanced over to the aforementioned Pokemon. At the sight of them yet again watching, the redhead let out a strangled yowl of protest as he shoved Aogiri back with his other hand. "_Stop staring_, you... you _voyeurs_!"

Aogiri laughed at both Matsubusa's embarrassment and Punk's kissy faces as he gathered up the large tuna. "Ah, they're just teasing you a little, Masky. It's harmless."

Matsubusa huffed as he whirled to glare at Aogiri, mortified. "I-I get enough teasing from _you_!"

Aogiri smirked and looked to his Pokemon. "Hear that? Only I get to tease Masky."

Matsubusa paused at that before he squeaked, quickly glancing between the Pokemon and the pirate. "I-I didn't say-!"

"Don't worry," Aogiri said with a wink. "Once we get some food in our bellies, I'll be sure to give you all the teasing you can handle."

Matsubusa huffed, crossing his arms in an obvious sulk. "A-at the rate you're going, that's never going to happen!"

Aogiri foisted the tuna onto the counter. "When you're right, you're right." He sighed and reluctantly focused on the cold dead fish instead of the redhead's hot body. "I better keep it in my pants for a while."

Matsubusa was about to retort when he saw Aogiri pull out a knife. He paused before his eyes widened, staring in horror as the pirate proceeded to slice in to the fish. The leader of Team Magma let out a strangled noise before he looked away. "W-w-what are you doing!?"

"Cleaning the fish, of course," Aogiri said cheerfully as he carved up the tuna with practiced ease.

Matsubusa made a noise in his throat before he retreated to the other side of the kitchen, refusing to look back at the pirate or what he was doing. "G-geh..."

Aogiri felt torn between amusement and concern, the latter ultimately winning out. "Hey, how about you and the Pokemon get some air while I get the fish taken care of?"

Matsubusa paused at that before he shook his head. "D-don't be stupid. I'm... I'm not going to run away from a dead fish. Even if you... are _disemboweling_ it."

Aogiri kept his eyes on Matsubusa even as he efficiently took the fish apart. "So long as it's not going to be too much for you, that's fine with me. I love having you around even when I'm up to my arms in chum." Movement out of the corner of his eye brought his attention to Aslan, who snuck up around him to snag the fish head and bones before darting off with them. He chuckled wryly at the feline Pokemon before he set to work cleaning up the blood. "I'm just a bit surprised you can handle killing people just fine, all things considered."

"It's not the same," Matsubusa grumbled. "_Stabbing_ and _gutting_ are two different things."

"Yeah?" Aogiri asked, his tone deceptively light despite the topic. "How so?"

"There's no entrails, for one," Matsubusa murmured, his voice going quiet. He paused before his volume returned. "Besides, you'd be surprised how few times I've actually had to _stab_ someone. It's more of a security measure in case Homura didn't get to them first - which rarely happens."

"You're right," Aogiri said, "I probably would be surprised." He flashed a smile that was faintly tinged at the corners. "I know you're a lot more hardcore than me and my crew when it comes to dealing with bad guys. I guess part of me wants to know how many notches you have on your belt and just how far you've gone, while another part is yelling it was a horrible idea for me to bring up the subject at all since I'm not comfortable with murder. At all. No matter how much the guy might have it coming."

Matsubusa paused at that before his expression grew forcibly neutral, guarded. He looked down at the cooking utensils in front of him, and set about preparing rice for their fish with careful movements. "...Do you mean Team Magma in general, or personally?"

Aogiri took his time to think about the question before he let out a sigh, shoulders slumping. "Both, I guess." He went to the sink to wash off the blood from his arms. "I love you, Matsubusa. Don't think me bringing this up is a deal breaker or anything. Just, well..." He faltered for how to explain the complicated feelings twisting around in his gut and allowed the thought to die with a frustrated exhale of breath.

Matsubusa was quiet for several moments before he looked down hard at his hands. "...Are you familiar with the Orre Incident?"

Aogiri cringed, his mouth twisting from the taste of bile rising up in his throat. "Who hasn't? The things the bastards running the place did to Pokemon..."

"The League is all over the world, these days," Matsubusa said, his voice becoming distant. "Though there _are_ a few countries that still refuse to cooperate, they're generally places you would _expect_ despot behavior from. Orre was one of the supposedly _sane_ countries that rejected the League and its regulations, on the grounds that the League was _infringing_ on their _sovereignty_ rather than their supposed right to abuse Pokemon as they saw fit."

Aogiri realized he had left the water on for a full minute and quickly shut it off before focusing on Matsubusa again. "Yeah, I heard of that. Then they turned around and begged the League for help."

"Yes," Matsubusa said, with a slight chuckle in his voice. "Because their country had been overrun by organized crime, and their entire economy collapsed as a result of targeted attacks against their infrastructure."

Aogiri toweled off his hands and went back to preparing the fish for their dinner. "I'm guessing you brought this up for more than just random trivia about humans who were complete dicks to Pokemon."

"The team they needed saving from... was Team Magma," Matsubusa said. "Though, naturally, we were long gone by the time the League came in to clean up the _remains_."

Aogiri's eyebrows shot up, and he put the knife down to focus entirely on Matsubusa. "Your team took on an entire country?" He let out a low whistle when the redhead nodded. "Damn. That's hardcore."

"To be fair, it wasn't the entire country so much as the ones in charge of it," Matsubusa said, with a sly smile. "Though the country itself collapsed as a result. That's generally what happens when your economy heavily depends on _Pokemon abuse_."

"Bastards had it coming too," Aogiri said before he turned to his team. "Am I right, mates?"

Levi nodded her head before she let out a low growl, the sound joined by the other Pokemon on Aogiri's team.

"...What you and the rest of the public don't know is that there was a lot more going on than a country that prospered through the suffering of Pokemon," Matsubusa said as he watched the pot of rice boil. "There was _already_ a team in Orre - one run by President Backley."

Aogiri blinked, his momentary enthusiasm evaporating. "What? I've never heard that."

"It was a local team, rather _unoriginally_ called _Shadow_," Matsubusa said. "It ran the entire government and all government facilities. _That's_ why they didn't want the League snooping around. The League would have realized that both Backley and his entire government was nothing more than a criminal syndicate with the keys to the city. The people of Orre didn't seem to realize it, but didn't particularly care either. They were comfortable, and that was all that matters."

The information hit Aogiri hard, and although a part of him wanted to deny that any place could be so corrupt, he wasn't that naive. "Shit, man..."

"We weren't aware of it at the time when we started targeting their facilities, but we discovered it rather quickly enough," Matsubusa said as he tilted his head. "They didn't even bother hiding most of their secrets. After all, no one dared defy them and they controlled the police. There was no one in the country with the power to stop them, so they had become rather complacent... and arrogant."

Aogiri leaned back against the counter, folding his arms against his chest. "Sounds like your team were big damn heroes."

"They were rather furious with us, swearing war between our teams in retaliation," Matsubusa said, before he turned to Aogiri. Though he was smiling, it was far from friendly. "It was a _short_ war."

Aogiri found the expression Matsubusa wore unnerving, and a more than a little hot. It was the words that kept him from dwelling too much on the latter. "I'm guessing what you mean by war is a high body count, right?"

"...It was much lower than it _could_ have been," Matsubusa said as he returned his attention to the pot. "Seeing their leader dead made their team _collapse_," The leader of Team Magma couldn't look at Aogiri, instead focusing on the rice as it boiled. "I suppose there's something _demoralizing_ about seeing your leader's severed head, rather _ironically_ attached to a similarly beheaded statue. The remaining admins couldn't cover it up, and the entire country _panicked_. They wasted _no_ time in begging the League for help, crawling in their bellies to save their own necks."

Aogiri was at a loss. Any teasing remark he could think of felt woefully inappropriate, and his thoughts were too chaotic to form any sort of sober response.

Matsubusa hesitated before he grimaced, his hands moving to grip the counter. "...Reconsidering now?"

Aogiri shook his head even as he struggled with what to say. "No. I knew about this side of you already. I'm just not sure how to _deal_ with, well, killing off bad guys." He made a vague gesture in the air. "My feelings are all over the place here."

Matsubusa watched the rice in silence for a moment before he finally turned his head to look at Aogiri, his expression uneasy. "And what does that mean for _me_?"

Aogiri gave Matsubusa a wan smile as he approached. "Look, I'm not cool with killing people, never have been, and I doubt I ever will, but that doesn't mean I don't get _why_ it's necessary sometimes. Sometimes killing one evil bastard prevents a hundred innocent people and Pokemon from dying senselessly." He placed his hand on Matsubusa's shoulder. "What I'm getting at is I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do about it. I could ask you not to do it, but these guys we go up against don't usually play fair or care if they leave corpses behind. I can't just ignore it or pretend it's not happening, so I guess I just... want to let you know how I feel instead of just letting it hang unsaid."

Matsubusa's expression was sullen as he nodded, then lifted his head as he was about to speak. As he did, a thought popped in to his head and the leader of Team Magma paused. "...Did you touch me with gut hands?"

Aogiri blinked at the sudden derailment of the topic and burst out laughing. "Naw, I just washed them, but I can see why you wouldn't notice since we were busy waltzing in the drama zone."

Matsubusa eyed the hands suspiciously before he returned his attention to the pirate's face. "...It's your fault, you're the one that asked."

"True enough," Aogiri muttered before resting his chin on Matsubusa's shoulder, enveloping the other man in his arms.

Matsubusa paused before he closed his eyes, leaning forward to press his forehead against the pirate's chest. "...Idiot..."

The two lapsed in to silence, standing together as the Pokemon watched. Even though a heavy cloud still hovered over their heads, they found comfort in each other's warmth and waited for the storm to pass.

* * *

A feminine hand twisted a circular dial, ended the broadcast as a strange receiving device powered down. It rested on a table in a storage room on the opposite side of the base, built inside a briefcase for easy travel, with a pair of ear-buds that were currently being shared between two individuals – a man and a woman.

"Isn't that so sweet?" Musashi cooed in a quiet whisper. The secret agent for Team Rocket did not have her long red hair in its distinctive curved style, but deceptively hidden partially underneath a black bandana bearing the Team Aqua logo to make it seem several inches shorter. Her skin had also been temporarily artificially tanned to better blend in with the rest of the grunts that wore the same uniform she stole.

"Just _darling_," Kojiro said as he pulled the ear-bud out of his ear. He similarly looked like a Team Aqua recruit, much like his comrade. He leaned back to look at Musashi, smiling from ear to ear. "They're just absolutely precious, though I suppose a romantic like myself might be a bit biased~!"

Musashi leaned into Kojiro and let out a blissful sigh. "You're not the only one. This really puts me in the mood to take another get away someplace tropical and exotic. And what luck that we're in Hoenn~!"

Kojiro leaned back against Musashi as he chuckled. "Indeed. And now that we've confirmed that the boss doesn't need to worry about his little investment, we can take some time out and enjoy the sights~!" He paused as he flipped the receiver off. "I'm honestly a bit relieved. I wasn't looking forward to having to kill Mister Aqua Leader. He seems like such a fun guy, and this world needs more of those."

"I know what you mean," Musashi sighed. "Taking down evil villains is satisfying, but it gets depressing when there are just so _many_. It's nice to have a job that turns out so sweetly for a change."

"Besides, he's more a man who just wants to have fun," Kojiro agreed before he wiggled his eyebrows. "A man after my own heart."

Musashi lazily traced hearts on Kojiro's chest with her finger. "I can't wait to see the boss' expression when we surprise him with this unexpected development."

"Indeed, or our confirmation on his little theory about what 'Masky' does in his spare time," Kojiro agreed, tilting his head. "Seems he was right as usual~!"

Musashi giggled. "Oh, the boss does so love it when he's proven right."

Kojiro chuckled before he leaned back fully against his partner, propping himself up on his hands. "I suppose after we report in and enjoy the sights a bit, we'll have to go back to looking for _our_ delightfully contrary little redhead."

Musashi coiled a strand of cardinal colored hair around her finger and smiled. "Yes indeed. Redheads are so _fun_, aren't they?"

"Mmmhmmm," Kojiro's grin widened as he eyed the lady beside him. "They certainly know how to _liven_ the party~!"

Musashi laughed and outright sprawled against Kojiro, stretching luxuriously against her partner. "Speaking of which, I'm in a rather _romantic_ mood myself after hearing all that. What do you say to getting out of here and have our own little... _party_?" Her smile widened, her ruby red lips silently speaking of tantalizing possibilities.

"Hm, hm, hm~! You read my mind~!" Kojiro said as he grabbed the top of the receiver and pulled it down, folding the machine up so that it closed with an audible snap.


	10. Chapter 10

With a flick of the wrist, Shelly turned on the lights to the communication room, illuminating the various pieces of equipment found inside. "Here we are. That didn't take long, did it?"

Homura made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat as he glanced around the communications room. He immediately recognized it as the one he had seen Matsubusa in earlier that day.

Shelly took a seat in front of the monitors and brought the system to life. "It might be best to contact Aogiri's Pokédex in case those two are _busy_."

Homura bristled as he turned to shoot Shelly a scowl. "...Hurry up and call him, already!"

Shelly gave Homura a droll look. "You really need to try and relax more about the idea of our bosses dating. You're going to give yourself an ulcer at this rate."

Aogiri appeared on the big screen before Homura had a chance to retort. "Yo! What's up?" He grinned as he noticed Homura, as well as Tabitha further back by Shelly. "Good news, I hope."

Homura glowered darkly at Aogiri and stepped forward. "Where is he!?"

Aogiri's gaze moved away from the monitor to the redhead sitting beside him at the table. In front of them were plates of their half-eaten dinner while the Pokémon were polishing off their meals not far away. "Hey, Masky, I think it's for you."

Matsubusa looked up at that, blinking as he had his fork half in his mouth. "Huh?"

"Matsubusa!" Homura said as he gripped the edge of the console. "Are you alright!?"

"Homura?" Matsubusa repeated as he blinked again before his eyes widened. "Yes, I-" the redhead paused when his eyes settled on Shelly's smirking face in the corner of the screen. "-Where are you!?"

"That's _my_ question!" Homura snapped. "_Where_ are _you_!?"

"How should I know!?" Matsubusa said, scowling. "A-are you _fraternizing_ behind my back!?"

"I came to _rescue_ you, and found you _gone_!" Homura said, with a wide gesture of his arm. "Enough with the bluster and nonsense! Has he hurt you!?"

The leader of Team Magma paused at the question, his expression going blank. His confusion only lasted a moment as he soon remembered that he was still a prisoner, and _had_ been kidnapped. Homura's concerns were actually understandable. Such a realization made the redhead feel a surge of shame at his earlier anger, which became visible on his face in the form of a mortified blush. "...No. He hasn't."

Homura's expression was still fierce as he searched Matsubusa's face for any signs of dishonesty. Once he was _partially_ satisfied, the personal assistant stepped back as he crossed his arms. "...Good."

Aogiri leaned in close to Matsubusa, slipping an arm around the other man's shoulders before he placed a kiss on Matsubusa's cheek. "Trust me, I've been taking _very_ good care of my Masky."

Matsubusa jerked with a squeak, his blush shifting from shame to flustered embarrassment. "E-e-eh?!"

"...You'd better," Homura said, his voice sharp like a knife. "Because if you _don't_, I have a_ bullet_ with your name on it."

Aogiri shot Homura a wry smile. "Trust me, the last thing I'd want to do is to make the man I love unhappy."

Matsubusa's blush deepened as he let out a strangled sound of protest. The very fact that Aogiri could say such a thing not just to him but in front of _other people_ was all the more mortifying. "I-idiot!"

Aogiri nuzzled Matsubusa's nose with his own. "See? We're calling each other pet names already."

Matsubusa's voice raised in pitch as he let out another noise of protest, reaching up to uselessly strike at Aogiri's chest.

Shelly leaned back in her seat, kicking her feet up onto an empty part of the console. "So do I get to say 'I told you so' now or _after_ they start kissing?"

Homura's cheek twitched as he tapped his right fingers against his left arm, keeping both arms crossed. "What are your intentions to Matsubusa?"

Aogiri reluctantly turned his attention away from Matsubusa to focus on Homura. "Gee, I thought it was clear that I want to make the man I love happy." He couldn't help but snicker as Matsubusa let out another incoherent sputtering protest. "But if you want specifics, I'm planning on seducing him if he's game, or at least get some more kisses."

Matsubusa howled as he reached over to clamp both of his hands on Aogiri's mouth. "S-s-shut up! Shut up shut up _shut up_!"

Homura's expression deadpanned. "And I'm supposed to ignore the fact that you kidnapped him, after terrorizing him for days?"

Tabitha rushed forward to Homura's side, glaring at Aogiri. "Do you have any idea how much we were worried about Matsubusa and what you might've been doing to him?"

Aogiri tried to answer, but the words came out muffled behind Matsubusa's hands. He side-eyed the redhead and slowly quirked an eyebrow.

Matsubusa scowled at Aogiri, his face still loudly proclaiming his embarrassment. "I'm only removing them if you promise not to say anything else stupid."

Aogiri let out a quiet hum before he shrugged and nodded.

Matsubusa hesitated, not certain how to take such a response. He was about to question the pirate when he suddenly felt the tip of Aogiri's tongue flick out against his hand. The redhead yelped as he jerked his hands back, nearly falling backwards.

Fortunately, Aogiri was quick to snag Matsubusa before the redhead could tip out of the seat. He flashed a grin now that his mouth was uncovered. "Can't say I think anything I said about being wild about you was stupid, Masky."

Matsubusa held his hand to his chest, quivering as he glowered at the pirate. The anger in his expression was severely muted by his ever darkening blush. "...I-idiot..."

Aogiri kissed Matsubusa's cheek, savoring the warmth he found there. "You say the sweetest things."

Homura's cheek twitched as he glared at the screen. "...Are you _finished_?"

Matsubusa jerked at that before he whirled to stare at the screen, realizing that Homura and Tabitha were still watching. The redhead let out a startled yowl before he threw the Pokédex at Aogiri.

Aogiri was quick to catch the Pokédex and smiled at the two admin. "As you can see, Masky is doing much better now."

Homura continued to glower at the screen. "...Then let's get back to your _intentions_."

Aogiri cocked an eyebrow. "Didn't I just answer that? Seducing Masky, or at least getting some more kisses."

"And then what?" Homura asked, his voice razor sharp. "After you've got what you wanted, you throw him away like a one-use sex toy?"

Matsubusa paused at that, his eyes widening. He hesitated before he grimaced, looking down at his food. While his mortification was still present, his other emotions took the forefront.

Aogiri blinked before his expression deadpanned. "You really think I put my crew and yours through all this trouble just for a one-night stand? Masky is worth a hell of a lot more to me than _that_."

"Just what is he to you?" Tabitha asked, scowling.

Aogiri looked past the Pokédex to Matsubusa's anxious face, smiling fondly as the redhead looked away, pretending as though the conversation was nothing too important. "I've fallen for you, Matsubusa. Hard. I'm not into casual sex." His eyes took on a mischievous glint as his smile grew. "I'm _way_ too greedy for that."

Matsubusa's heart beat quickly in his chest as a tremor ran through his body. A warmth was growing inside of him, and he wasn't entirely certain how to take it - if he could even believe any of it. And yet he couldn't deny that a part of him desperately wanted to. "I-is that so."

Homura glanced to Tabitha before he returned his attention to the screen. "You never even saw his face until now."

"Oh, that's not _nearly_ as much of an issue as you think it is," Izumi said as she suddenly spooned Tabitha from behind, wrapping her arms around his neck. "There are ways to _know_ a person, _without_ having to see their _face_."

Tabitha couldn't manage more than a squeak, his cheeks turning bright, bright red, as he enjoyed the embrace far more than he felt he had any right to.

Shelly smirked. "Your cute faces are just nice bonuses." She allowed her eyes to travel along his body. "Among other parts of you."

Homura paused at that and glanced at Shelly out of the corners of his eyes, a faint blush appearing before he quickly returned his attention back to Aogiri.

Aogiri reached out to lightly stroke Matsubusa's cheek with the back of his hand, his expression softening as he drew closer to the leader of Team Magma. "All these years butting heads made me want to be with you more and more, and the more time I spend with you, the deeper I fall in love. You're the most absolutely _amazing_ person I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, and that brilliant mind of yours, more than anything else, is what snared me, not what's in my pants. My dick is just coming along for the ride."

Matsubusa turned to look at Aogiri, his face twisted with warring emotions. After several moments, he furrowed his brow. "...If y-you're lying, I... Homura's going you shoot you. Got it?"

Homura blinked at that before he quirked an eyebrow.

Despite the threat, Aogiri couldn't help but snicker. "I can believe it." He placed a light kiss upon Matsubusa's brow. "Good thing I don't have anything to worry about. I don't believe in lying."

Matsubusa closed his eyes as the pirate kissed his brow, then opened them again to look at the pirate. "...G-good. You'd better not."

Aogiri took Matsubusa's hand in his and squeezed gently. "I know it sounds weird saying this after the trouble I caused you, but I'm willing to do what it takes to earn your trust now that I've finally got your undivided attention."

Matsubusa looked down at Aogiri's hand, his own trembling slightly in the pirate's grip. "...I'm going to hold you to that..."

Aogiri brought Matsubusa's hand to his lips. "Don't worry," he murmured against the other man's skin. "We'll take things as slow as you need."

Homura watched the exchange, his expression irritated. He could clearly see that Matsubusa had fallen for the pirate, and the pirate certainly _seemed_ sincere. But when it came to Matsubusa, he could never be too careful. The personal assistant opened his mouth to speak when the power suddenly flickered, the screen flashing in and out before it returned to the screen. Homura jerked, his eyes darting around. "What-?"

The answer came in a low, deep rumble that vibrated through the building.

Shelly looked up towards the flickering lights. "Storm's here." Reluctantly she rose to her feet. "We better fix that door you two busted open before it gets much worse."

Izumi glanced up, still draping herself against Tabitha's back, before she let out a heavy sigh and reluctantly withdrew. "We're running out of time."

Tabitha looked to Homura, uncertain. "Things _seem_ to be doing okay for Matsubusa, so..."

Matsubusa paused at that and turned to the screen. "What? What's happening?"

"...Nothing," Homura said, stiffly. The redhead obviously hadn't noticed, and didn't seem to be aware of the storm. At the very least, Matsubusa wasn't aware that _they_ were in the midst of the storm. It was better to keep it that way. "Don't worry about it." The personal assistant then turned his head to glower at Aogiri. "We'll be there soon as we can, so you'd better take care of him."

"Wait, Homura!" Matsubusa said, furrowing his brow. "What's-"

Homura flicked the switch he had seen Shelly use to turn on the screen, promptly turning it off. "Let's get the door fixed."

Shelly folded her arms over her chest as she shot Homura a piercing look. "Right. And after that, we'll _wait_ until it's gone before we _all_ head over to join our bosses. Got it?"

Homura paused, his irritation still palpable. However, rather than arguing, he simply looked away. "...Understood."

As the admins set to work, the leader of Team Magma was left unsatisfied with the conclusion of their talk. Back at the base with Aogiri, Matsubusa grasped at the pirate's Pokédex and shook it, as if somehow it would make Homura feel the action. "Don't hang up on me, you bastard!"

Aogiri restricted his mirth to a soft chuckle and coiled a strand of Matsubusa's red hair around his finger. "I don't think he can hear you."

Matsubusa was about to snap a response when he felt Aogiri's fingers playing with his hair. The redhead paused before he glanced over to Aogiri, his hands tightly gripping the Pokédex. "I... I know that! I just... why did he hang up so suddenly!? He called _me_, not the other way around!"

"Maybe they wanted time alone with the ladies," Aogiri said slyly as he leaned in closer. "Just like I'm looking forward to spending alone time with you."

Matsubusa's eyes widened as he stared at Aogiri, then looked away in an attempt to hide his face as he didn't trust what the pirate'd find. "I-I never gave them permission-!"

Aogiri slid his arm around Matsubusa's shoulder and pulled the other man close. "Somehow I don't think you _really_ have a problem with them 'fraternizing with the enemy' as much as you don't like sharing."

Matsubusa paused before he glanced at Aogiri's arm as it rested comfortably on his shoulder. The leader of Team Magma lowered his head, his hand tentatively reaching up to toy with the pirate's fingers. "...So it's better to be left behind than fight?"

The question startled Aogiri, and a moment later he understood. He pulled Matsubusa close enough that the redhead slid into his lap. "You're not being left behind. Who'd be stupid enough to even think of leaving you?"

Matsubusa knew he should've complained about suddenly being in the pirate's lap, and yet he couldn't muster the energy to. As embarrassing as it was, Aogiri's warmth and firmness seeped in to his body, bringing with it a comfort that he didn't want to admit he needed. Instead of resisting, he rested his head against the pirate's chest. "...There is a lot of stupid in this world."

"True enough," Aogiri murmured, his breath stirring up strands of hair atop Matsubusa's head. "But I don't think you have anything to worry about from your mates. They're all ridiculously loyal to you."

Matsubusa closed his eyes. "...I know."

Aogiri rubbed slow circles along Matsubusa's back. "You don't have to worry about me getting bored of you, you know. You've only made me more and more interested over the years the more time I've spent with you."

Matsubusa relaxed, allowing the pirate to slowly sooth his body - and his fears. "Which makes no sense, whatsoever."

Aogiri chuckled. "Oh really? You're trying to tell me there's _nothing_ about you that's absolutely _intoxicating_?"

Matsubusa reached up to fiddle with the buttons of Aogiri's shirt as he relaxed against the pirate. "...I wouldn't know, I'm not the one that said it."

Aogiri enjoyed the feeling of Matsubusa becoming at ease in his arms. "Well, for starters, that brilliant mind of yours is always driving me to think harder and pushes me further than anyone else ever has before."

Matsubusa made a quizzical humming sound as he partially opened his eyes. "Really now."

"Yup," Aogiri said with a grin. "You one-up me, I one-up you, and we do this amazing dance of outsmarting one another that I've never gotten with anyone else."

Matsubusa glanced upwards, looking at Aogiri through half-lidded eyes. "...And because of that, you decided you..." The redhead paused before crimson exploded across his face. "...L-l-liked me."

Aogiri suppressed the urge to chuckle and traced a heart on Matsubusa's cheek. "Yup. And from there, I saw a lot more things that drew me to you, like the way you react to me, how you get flustered and love to cuddle. You're going to find I'm a cuddling _fiend_, so expect a _lot_ of physical affection from me."

"I-it's not cuddling!" Matsubusa huffed, though he didn't turn away. "I'm just... sitting."

Aogiri placed a kiss on Matsubusa's temple. "It's sitting close and enjoying each other's warmth."

Matsubusa made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat before he closed his eyes, relaxing against the pirate again. "...If that's how you want to see it, I can't stop you."

"Never have, never will," Aogiri chuckled before he rested his chin atop Matsubusa's head.

Matsubusa let out a weary sigh. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Love me," Aogiri whispered, his voice a pleasant rumble as he pulled Matsubusa a little closer. "Like I love you."

Matsubusa paused at that, his heart lurching in his choice. He was silent for several moments before he blushed darkly, curling up against Aogiri as his fingers dug in to the shirt fabric. "...I-I'll see what I can do..."

"That's all I ask," Aogiri murmured as he closed his eyes and savored the moment for as long as it would last.

* * *

Courtney downed her drink of concentrated sugar and caffeine that had once been coffee before it evolved. The jolt helped push back the heavy specter of sleep that loomed over her and threatened to tear her away from her computer screens. She refused to rest until Matsubusa was safe. She hadn't even changed out of her pajamas, still wearing the same black Charizard outfit she had been wearing since Matsubusa first disappeared.

Next to Courtney, Kagari was doing her own work on the computer. While she wasn't nearly as capable as Courtney, she still knew her way around technology - at least enough to monitor various news networks and gather information. Unfortunately, that was not always a benefit, as she came across one piece of news that made her cringe and stop short.

Courtney noticed what was on Kagari's screen out of the corner of her eye. "Saw it. I added that beach to my search parameters. The police are incompetent idiots letting Matsubusa slip through their fingers."

Kagari grimaced as she reached up to cover her mouth, watching as Aogiri trotted down the street in plain view with Matsubusa on his shoulders. When the pirate reached the water, her heart clenched as Matsubusa's terrified scream pierced the air before it was silenced by the water. Yet even though she couldn't hear it, she knew that Matsubusa's terror had anything but ceased.

Courtney's fingers curled like claws against the table as she heard Matsubusa's scream, carving out eight lines in the wood with her nails. She muttered darkly under her breath before stabbing at the keys, checking social media and news websites once again even though nothing had changed within the past minute, or the minute before that, or the minute before that.

Kagari was silent before a moment before she lowered her hand, her expression fierce. "I'm going to crush his balls under my heels."

"After I electrocute them until they're roasted like chestnuts," Courtney growled.

Kagari reached up to massage her forehead. "But why? Why go through all this trouble? As much as Matsubusa may have said, he didn't say anything that wasn't already being said by _everyone else_ \- especially in law enforcement. Why was Matsubusa so important?"

Courtney wordlessly reached over to type at Kagari's computer. The busty admin blinked and watched the footage of the beach rewound to a certain point before it started to replay.

The wobbly image of Matsubusa biting his captor in frustration flickered on the screen, as Aogiri visibly flinched before chuckling. His voice was slightly garbled due to the distance and quality of the video, but his words were recognizable. "Hey now, I didn't know you were into the _kinky_ stuff, Masky."

Kagari's eyebrows shot straight up. She quickly clicked pause on the keyboard before she stared at the screen, her expression blank. After a moment's hesitation, she replayed the footage herself as she flipped up the volume.

"Hey now," Aogiri said again, his voice much louder so that it boomed in the quiet office. "I didn't know you were into the _kinky_ stuff, Masky."

Kagari paused the video again, with a sharp jab of her finger. Her eyes bore in to the screen as an awful realization settled in. She didn't speak for several moments before she narrowed her eyes. "_Well_. _That_ explains quite a _bit_, doesn't it? ...He didn't kidnap Matsubusa of Kazan Industries, he took captive the Leader of Team Magma."

"Horny bastard," Courtney snarled. "If he forced himself on Matsubusa, I'll-"

The sudden ringing of the phone made Courtney twitch, jaw clenching. Before Kagari could react to such an unusual display of anger, the purple haired woman snatched the phone receiver.

"This had better be news about Matsubusa," Courtney snapped.

The weary voice of Junsar came through the line. "Hello, this is Chief Junsar of the Kanto police and-"

Courtney held the phone in both hands as though it was a neck she wanted to snap. "_Fuck off_ you worthless sacks of shit! I know you're dragging your asses on your own shit because of the storm! Stop wasting my time and _do_ something!" She slammed the receiver down hard against the base, not giving the woman on the other end a chance to respond.

Kagari looked at Courtney for several moments before she glanced down at the receiver, noting that the other woman hadn't properly hung up the phone. The black-haired admin reached up to pick up the phone delicately, acting as if her comrade hadn't just told off the person on the other line. "Hello, you have reached Kazan Industries. May I ask who's calling?"

Junsar responded in a halting, wary tone. "This is Chief Junsar of the Kanto Police."

Kagari smiled brightly. "Oh, _hello_, Chief Junsar. What a surprise! I didn't expect to hear from you."

Junsar sighed, though whether it was from relief or frustration it was hard to tell. "I called to ask a few more questions. It might help our search if we have more information about any other interactions your company or Mr. Kazan might have had with Team Aqua."

Kagari blinked before she arched an eyebrow. "But Chief Junsar, Mr. Kazan isn't a corpse. As I recall, you have no interest in helping people who are _still alive_."

A hiss of air slid through Junsar's teeth as she struggled to keep her temper in check. "I see you are an associate of Mr. Homura. You share so many charming traits with him."

"Considering that he is my coworker, I'd say it'd be rather hard for me not to be an associate of his," Kagari said, with a sly smile. She glanced over to Courtney. "I suppose we are the company we keep."

Courtney raised an eyebrow at Kagari before she returned her focus to the computer.

"Yes, of course," Junsar muttered. "Despite how our earlier conversation went, helping Mr. Kazan is a higher priority than soothing any bruised egos. I need all the information I can get from you about anything even remotely related to Team Aqua."

"Really? How interesting," Kagari said as she tilted her head. "I wonder what's changed? After all, you were quite convinced that Mr. Kazan deserved his situation _before_."

Junsar let out a quiet breath of frustration. "Look, you're taking that conversation _way_ out of context. Can we get back to what's important here?"

"The only context I have is that you informed my associate that the situation would resolve itself once Team Aqua finished _having their fun_ with Mr. Kazan, and you were more concerned about a group of men who, last I heard, are _dead and buried_," Kagari said, her tone icy. "But I suppose I _digress_. Yes, let's get back to what's _actually_ important - Mr. Kazan's safe return."

The quiet tap of a pen against wood accompanied Junsar's voice. "Alright then. I've picked up on some leads that strongly suggest Mr. Kazan and the leader of Team Aqua once worked together as members of Team Rocket. I need to know if he's had any sort of connection with that syndicate, either directly or indirectly."

Kagari paused at that, blinking for a moment before she slowly raised her eyebrows. "..._Excuse_ me?"

"If you know anything," Junsar said, "I urge you to let me know. If we follow up on this lead, it might expedite Mr. Kazan's return."

"...Chief Junsar, is this a _joke_?" Kagari asked, her tone taking a slight edge. "I'm not in the mood for _jokes_."

"I assure you, I never joke when it comes to Team Rocket," Junsar said in a dark, almost dangerous tone. "This connection to Team Rocket is the strongest lead we have right now, so I would appreciate your cooperation."

"Your 'strongest lead' is nonsense you'd find in a Pokétube comment?" Kagari asked, unable to keep her disbelief from her tone. "Is _this_ what you consider _police investigation_?"

Junsar banged her hand against the desk. "The evidence I have tying Mr. Kazan and Team Rocket is far stronger than random comment on the internet!"

"Oh, is that so? Then _enlighten_ me," Kagari said, her voice razor sharp. "Otherwise, this conversation is over."

The tapping of Junsar's pen became more rapid. "I can't divulge my sources at this time, but believe me, they've never been wrong before when it comes to connections to Team Rocket. Now I need you to stop dancing around the topic and tell me what you know."

"I know _everything_ about Mr. Kazan, Chief Junsar," Kagari said as her expression became hard. "Which is why I can tell you with absolute confidence that you are _wasting my time_."

Junsar gritted her teeth for a moment. "Anything you can think of that might connect the two would be of _great_ help in finding Mr. Kazan more quickly."

Kagari's cheek twitched. Her patience was already thin from the start of the conversation, but the chief of police had essentially reduced it to nothing but frayed threads. She didn't know what Junsar's angle was, and she didn't care. Considering that Team Rocket was a _Kanto_ based team, she could only imagine what sort of ridiculous angle the police chief was trying to make. "_Goodbye_, Chief Junsar." Without waiting for a response, she slammed down the phone heavily on to its receiver.

"Worthless sacks of shit," Courtney remarked without looking up from her computer.

"Honestly, _Team Rocket_?" Kagari muttered as she crossed her arms, glaring at the phone. "What is that woman _thinking_-" She was promptly cut off by the phone ringing once more. Kagari stared at the phone before she narrowed her eyes.

Courtney snatched the phone without even looking at it. "_Fuck. Off_!" She threw the receiver across the room, letting it bounce off the wall before it skidded across the floor until it came to a stop against one of the table legs.

"...Well, _hello_ to you too." came a recognizably _male_ voice from the receiver.

Kagari jerked as she sat up and whirled to stare at the phone. As it registered what she had heard, she quickly moved to pick the phone up off the floor. "Homura?!"

"Tell that to Junsar next time you see her," Courtney said as she typed away at her computer.

Kagari glanced at Courtney before she returned her attention to the phone. "Where have you been? We've been worried sick!" The admin paused, then frowned. "And why are you calling the landline instead of our Pokédexes?"

"You wouldn't _answer_," Homura said, dryly. "And this was my last resort. And even then, it was busy until several seconds ago."

Kagari paused at that before she reached in to her pocket to pull out her Pokédex, and noted with no small amount of irritation that she had several missed calls from Homura - all within the past five minutes. "...I admittedly was in the process of dealing with a _delightful_ phone call from your friend in Kanto, Chief Junsar."

Homura blinked before his expression darkened. "You should've hung up on her."

"I agree," Kagari said lightly as she reached over to press the button for the speaker phone, then relaxed back in her chair. "Now, answer my first question. Where have you been?"

"At Team Aqua's base," Homura said.

Kagari paused at that before her eyes widened.

Courtney dropped her drink to the floor, not caring how it splashed onto her pajama pants, before she leaned across Kagari to get closer to the phone. "Did you get him? Did you find Matsubusa?"

"No and yes," Homura said, his tone exasperated. "They moved him before I arrived, but I was able to talk to him on the phone afterwards. He's alright, at least for the moment. Once the storm has left, I've been told that we'll be going up to meet with him. ...And that you're welcome to join us."

Kagari opened her mouth before she closed it, unable to form a single word.

Courtney gripped the edge of the table as she eyed the phone. "Don't toy with me, Homura. I'm full of caffeine and sugar."

"I know, I have trouble believing it myself," Homura said, with a heavy sigh and a shake of his head. He paced the communications room, holding his Pokédex to his ear. "Look, I don't have much time before I lose my signal. Use your Pokédexes to track where my call came from, and meet us here in the morning. We'll be here, at least until the storm lets up." The personal assistant paused before he glanced to the doorway, where Shelly stood, leaning against the doorframe. "I'd have left despite the storm but I was _informed_ that wasn't an option."

Shelly cracked her knuckles and raised her voice so that the ladies on the other end of the line would hear her. "If you want to whine about not running off blind on a suicide mission, take it up with the complaint department. The line starts here."

Kagari was silent for several moments before she grabbed her Pokédex, accessing the GPS tracking as Homura had suggested. It'd take several minutes, but if a storm was truly in the area, she was better off getting it while the signal was still available. "...And Matsubusa is safe?"

"Safe _enough_. For the moment," Homura said stiffly as he eyed Shelly.

Courtney glared at the phone. "You're _sure_ about that?"

"...As sure as I can be without being there in person." Homura said.

"That overgrown Mankey hasn't forced himself on Matsubusa, has he?" Courtney asked.

"...If he has, I'm going to shoot him." Homura said, his voice becoming cold. "...Though I will say that Matsubusa seemed to be in a good mood when I spoke to him."

"That's because those two have been getting pretty lovey-dovey," Shelly said with a smirk.

Homura scowled. "...Something like that."

"Don't worry," Shelly said, a little more gently. "The worst thing Aogiri has ever done is this kidnapping thing, and I'm sure he regrets it after seeing how miserable it made Masky for a while. Aogiri won't lay a finger on Masky without Masky wanting it to be there."

Homura was silent for a moment before he straightened up. "Anyway, I'll see you in the morning. And make sure Courtney _sleeps_."

Kagari glanced at Courtney. "We'll see you then."

"If you're wrong, I'll kick you," Courtney said, her voice her usual deadpan. "In the crotch."

Homura smirked, lightly. Even though he was being threatened, it was a good thing. Courtney sounded calmer. "I'll keep that in mind."

After exchanging their goodbyes, Kagari hung up the phone. Crossing her arms again, she flopped back against the chair and closed her eyes. "...Well, then."

Courtney flopped over onto Kagari's lap, using it as a pillow as she curled up in her chair. "Sleep time."

Kagari looked down at Courtney before she quirked a smile. "Goodnight."

Minutes ticked by in silence as the two comrades rested in their chairs. Unfortunately, the peace did not last long before Courtney sat up, her mouth curled as her eye twitched.

Kagari blinked before she arched an eyebrow. "Hm?"

Courtney turned to Kagari. "I'm full of caffeine and sugar."

Kagari stared at the other woman for a moment before she cracked a sympathetic smile. "I suppose even my lap isn't good enough to overcome _that_."

Courtney straightened up in her chair and faced her laptop, her fingers poised over it like a pianist about to perform a great and terrible concert. "Some trolls are about to have a _very_ bad day."

Kagari's smile grew wry as she chuckled. "Alright, but at least try to nap at some point or you'll be tired for Matsubusa."

"When I crash, carry me," Courtney said as she began typing away at her computer. "I'll wake up when we get there."

Kagari smiled. "Will do."

* * *

It wasn't much longer before the storm reached Matsubusa and Aogiri. The rumble of thunder outside and the occasional flash of lightning illuminating the dark hallways gave the empty base a creepy vibe that made the Team Magma leader stick close to the leader of Team Aqua even more than he intended.

Matsubusa trembled as he curled up against Aogiri's back, staring up over the large man's side as his eyes darted about the room. There weren't any windows, which was a blessing, but it only meant that his mind instead filled in the missing information based off of the howling that echoed through the empty fort.

Without warning, Aogiri rolled over to face Matsubusa, causing the redhead to jerk. "Easy now," Aogiri murmured as he stroked the other man's hair. "As much as I love you being the big spoon for a change, I think face-to-face might be better for tonight, don't you think?"

Matsubusa hesitated before his face turned red. "I-I'm fine! T-there's nothing..." He trailed off, unable to finish the rather obviously feeble denial.

Aogiri brushed his lips against Matsubusa's furrowed brow. "Don't worry, I'm not going to make fun of you. I had trouble getting to sleep myself."

Matsubusa felt warmth spread across his face and through his body, and with it his ever-growing embarrassment. "...Is that so..."

Aogiri flashed Matsubusa a grin that was vibrant even in the dimness of the room. "Though for me, it's more because I'm trying hard not to get a stiffy from thinking of all the things we could be doing right now."

Matsubusa paused, gaping at Aogiri. "S-s-stiff-!?"

Aogiri leaned in a little closer until his nose touched Matsubusa's. "I've lost count of how many times thoughts of you have left me rock hard and horny."

Matsubusa shivered before he scowled, with a huff. "Y-you simply can't resist teasing me, can you!?"

Aogiri kissed the corner of Matsubusa's pouting mouth. "Not when your reactions are absolutely _priceless_. Though that doesn't mean it's any less true."

Matsubusa's scowl faltered, his blush visible even in the dark. "...And... yet... you're not doing anything about it."

Aogiri leaned back a bit to get a better look at Matsubusa's face, eyebrows raising. "I figured after the rough day you've had that you wouldn't be in the mood to go that far, but if you're interested..." His smile widened hungrily as his eyes glinted with promises of mischief and delight. "...Then I'm more than happy to peel those clothes off you and get a taste of every inch of that sexy body of yours."

Matsubusa faltered at that, staring at Aogiri with wide eyes. "E-eh? I..."

Aogiri touched Matsubusa's temple with his fingertip then slowly traced his way down to the other man's chin, enjoying how Matsubusa shivered a little at the touch. "Of course, that all depends on what _you're_ in the mood for. So go ahead... pick something fun and sexy for us to try. I really want to know what goes on in _your_ head when you're dreaming things that destroy your underwear."

Matsubusa trembled at the touch. While it sent pleasant feelings through him, his stomach was beginning to churn with nervousness. It was more than a little off-putting that he had made a comment about the pirate not forcing himself on Aogiri like he had feared, only for the pirate to turn around and begin pushing for sex. "Er, I... ah..."

Aogiri drew in closer with a sultry grin. "Having trouble deciding? Then let's start off with this..." He closed the distance between them, capturing Matsubusa's lips in a smoking kiss that smoldered through both of their bodies.

Matsubusa made a startled noise, overwhelmed by the sudden taste and warmth of Aogiri. His hands fumbled to grasp at Aogiri's chest and, even as he trembled slightly with increased anxiety, heat flooded his body. "M-mn..."

Aogiri slid his hands across Matsubusa's shoulders to the red head's back, rubbing in small circles as he took his time to savor the kiss and the exquisite feeling of Matsubusa's body pressed so intimately against his.

Matsubusa's body began to relax in spite of himself, the gentle attention sending shivers of pleasure through his body. For the moment, it was becoming difficult to even remember why he was so upset and anxious in the first place.

Aogiri smiled against Matsubusa's mouth before he ran his tongue along the other man's lips, taking his time to drink in Matsubusa's flavor, as well as the way he made the redhead squeak in surprise.

With his mouth momentarily free, Matsubusa took the time to gulp down air and attempt to gather his bearings. It was surprisingly difficult, among the haze settling in his brain. "A-Aogiri...!"

Playfully, Aogiri nipped on Matsubusa's lower lip. "Mmm... I knew you'd moan my name so sweet."

The redhead blinked before his face burned bright red. "E-eh!?"

Aogiri chuckled and leaned back just enough that Matsubusa could see him waggle his eyebrows. "I can't tell you how many times I've thought of you like this." He slid his hand slowly downward along the leader of Team Magma's spine. "Listening to you moaning my name and making such cute little noises... feeling you writhe against me in my bed." His hand reached home, stroking Matsubusa's rump before giving it a squeeze.

Matsubusa jerked with a squeak before he felt a flood of panic at the touch. All at once, his warm feelings turned to chilling fear as the sheer gravity of the situation fell on top of him. "W-w-wait!"

Aogiri let go of Matsubusa's rear instantly after noticing the fear in the other man's yelp. "What? What's wrong?"

Matsubusa hesitated. He was startled, not only because Aogiri had stopped but by his own outburst. After a moment, the redhead grimaced. "I-I..."

Aogiri waited for an answer, but came to one of his own when one didn't seem to be forthcoming from Matsubusa. With a wry smile, he gently cupped his rival's cheek. "Too soon, huh?"

Matsubusa flinched slightly before he shakily reached up to grasp at Aogiri's arm, holding it tightly for support. The pirate was right - he had panicked. Unfortunately, admitting to such a thing felt like a huge defeat and a sign of weakness.

Aogiri brushed his lips against Matsubusa's briefly before pressing their foreheads together. "Hey, it's fine. Don't think you've got to get me off to get me to keep on loving you - you did that even while hurling insults and shit at me. Literally!"

Matsubusa blinked before he managed a small chuckle, in spite of himself. "You're going to keep bringing that up, aren't you?"

Aogiri felt victorious upon hearing that quiet laugh. "If you think I ever plan on letting you live that or the giant penis doodle down, you don't know me very well." He winked. "Yet."

Matsubusa paused, his eyes widening as his face turned red. "T-that wasn't-I didn't-I had no intention of-!"

Aogiri snickered and traced hearts on Matsubusa's cheek, savoring the heat he found in that flushed skin. "If you ever want to do another drawing of a big hot dick, I'd be happy to pose for you sometime."

Matsubusa's cheeks burned as he quivered, scowling at Aogiri. "I-I d-don't want to draw d-d-penises!"

"How about photos?" Aogiri asked. "If you want to snap some shots or even take some sexy videos of me, I'm all for it."

Matsubusa sputtered, making a noise of frustration before he reached up to cover Aogiri's mouth with his hands. "No! No drawings, no photos, no videos!"

Aogiri chuckled, his laughter lightly vibrating against the palms of Matsubusa's hands. When he tried to make a wry retort, but his words were too muffled to be understood, so instead he lightly stroked the back of the other man's hands and kissed the palms.

Matsubusa hesitated as his breathing hitched, realizing instantly the flaw in his plan. His hands trembled slightly but he didn't jerk them away, the anger easing from his face as he stared at Aogiri. After a moment's silence, his expression softened. "...I... you startled me."

The timid words made Aogiri pause for a moment before he resumed rubbing Matsubusa's hands tenderly, guessing that now that he couldn't speak was when the redhead was most comfortable talking candidly.

Matsubusa chewed on his lower lip as he debated how far he wanted to take the conversation, especially with Aogiri not interrupting him. After a pregnant silence, the redhead lowered his eyes to look at the pirate's hands as they touched the back of his hands. "I might have... panicked."

Aogiri nearly nodded, but decided that any sort of response might disrupt what Matsubusa wanted to say. Instead he continued his gentle stroking to offer silent reassurance.

Matsubusa trembled before he slowly lowered his hands, freeing Aogiri's mouth. "...This is... entirely new to me."

Aogiri took that as a sign that Matsubusa wanted a response. He took the other man's hand in his and kissed those slender, pale fingers, his eyes never leaving Matsubusa's. "I understand. This is the first time I've been with a man too. It's okay to speak up and let me know when I'm going too far, too fast, or whatever, you know? I like teasing you - you're so _cute_ when you're flustered - but I don't want to go so far that you're feeling uncomfortable or bad or anything but _amazing_."

Matsubusa's fingers curled around Aogiri's hand, holding it tightly. "I... just need to... prepare. T-that's all."

Aogiri kissed the hand trembling in his. "That's fine. Take all the time you need. I might get carried away and forget to think at times - especially when I get horny - but I fell for you because of _you_, not because I just wanted to fuck. One night stands and casual sex aren't how I roll."

Matsubusa nodded his head slowly before he moved to rest his forehead against Aogiri's chest. More than anything, he wanted the comfort of feeling Aogiri's warmth. The pirate hadn't tried to run away yet, and an ever growing part of him was starting to believe that he wasn't going to.

Aogiri slid his arms around Matsubusa and held the redhead close, enjoying the way their bodies fit together so perfectly. "Just being with you like this is _amazing,_ you know." He brushed his lips against the top of Matsubusa's head. "You excite me, and you always make life feel worth living whenever we're together."

Matsubusa felt his chest constricting. He was about to respond when he paused, noticing something jabbing in to him. The redhead blinked before he glanced down, furrowing his brow. "Hm?"

Aogiri bit back a groan when he felt Matsubusa shift and inadvertently rub up against where he was hard and sensitive. "I hate to wreck the moment," he said in a faintly husky tone, "but I'm going to need a few minutes in the bathroom to take care of that. I've been hard since we started making out, and I'm really starting to feel the blue balls setting in."

Matsubusa blinked before his blush returned in full force. He quickly jerked back with a squeak and a stammered apology.

Aogiri cut off Matsubusa's rambling with a kiss before he sat up, looming over the leader of Team Magma with a smile. "Hey, it was me who got hard, not you, so nothing to apologize for. Hell, I should probably apologize for fapping off to thoughts of you every time I get horny." His eyes took on a wicked glint as he winked. "Speaking of which..."

"F-f-fap!?" Matsubusa repeated, mortification causing his voice to raise several notes.

Aogiri hummed merrily as he eased off the bed and threw a grin over his shoulder at Matsubusa. "Jack off, masturbate, beat my meat, diddle the Diglet, going fishing with my tackle, or whatever way you want to say giving myself a mind-blowing orgasm to sexy thoughts of you."

Matsubusa struggled for words before he finally managed to let out a mortified shriek. "_Shut up shut up shut up_!"

Cackling, Aogiri dashed off to the bathroom and blew Matsubusa a kiss before closing the door behind him.

Matsubusa huffed as he glared at the door. "T-that _idiot_..."

No sooner had the redhead finished saying the words when he heard a low, rumbling chuckle. Matsubusa jerked and whipped his head about to stare at the source - Leviathan. Dante and Leviathan were both in the room, though he had been so focused on Aogiri that it hadn't noticed them. But, judging by the grin on the Feraligatr's face, _she_ had certainly noticed. And so had Dante, his own expression deadpan. Thankfully, Aogiri's other Pokémon were sleeping elsewhere, but in that moment he found himself wishing that the Houndoom and Feraligatr had been elsewhere as well.

Matsubusa quivered before he grabbed the blanket, holding it to his chest. "_That goes for you, too_!"


	11. Chapter 11

As the night seemingly went on forever, the storm thundered angrily onward, battering the sea with heavy winds and rain. The sound could even be heard, however faint, within the halls of the base. And yet, no matter how much Mother Nature raged, even she wasn't able to be more than a nuisance to the occupants safely tucked away inside the old military building.

Homura sat quietly as he listened to the storm, sitting in the kitchen to the base. A cup of lukewarm coffee rested in the table next to him as the personal assistant flipped through his Pokédex. The internet signal was uselessly faint thanks to the weather outside, but he could still peruse his emails offline - or do whatever else he could think of to try and keep his mind occupied.

At the very least, occupied by something other than Matsubusa.

At that moment, something cold and slightly damp pressed up against the back of Homura's neck, causing him to jerk and drop his Pokédex. He instinctively clasped a hand over the area, glancing behind him.

It wasn't too surprising to see Shelly standing behind him wearing a sassy grin as she held a bottle of Irish cream in one hand and two cups of coffee in the other. "Oops, did I startle you?"

Homura arched an eyebrow, his expression deadpan. "No, the bottle did."

Shelly set the coffee and bottle down onto the table before she pulled up a chair. "Guess I'm going to have to up my game. You didn't even notice me brewing up some fresh coffee or all the subtle hints I was dropping that I wanted to go off somewhere and make out, like say, my bed."

Homura turned his attention back to his Pokédex, picking it up off the table. "...I have other things on my mind right now."

Shelly slid one of the cups of coffee over to Homura before she popped open the bottle. "That's why I figured we'd have some high class Irish cream to go with our coffee."

"I don't drink," Homura said, turning his head to glance at the redhead out of the corner of his eye.

Shelly poured herself some cream with a quiet hum. "Yeah, should've figured. Alcohol is probably the only thing strong enough to loosen up a guy wound up as tight as you." She playfully nudged him in the shoulder with hers.

Homura's mouth quirked slightly in a barely noticeable smile. "All the more reason."

Shelly set the bottle down and leaned against Homura as she took a generous sip of coffee. "Your loss. This is the high-grade stuff from my special stash. I don't offer to share it with just _anyone_ you know."

Homura watched Shelly in silence for several moments before he quirked an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

Shelly tapped Homura's cheek. "Says the man with bags under his eyes so big the airport would charge extra to stow them."

Homura blinked, his eyes widening slightly, before he let out an exasperated sigh. "I can catch up on my sleep later."

Shelly leaned against Homura's shoulder. "Or you could sleep now when there's literally nothing that needs to be done." A wicked smile graced her lips. "Unless you can think of someone that needs doing."

Homura's expression was deadpan, which conflicted sharply with the light pink tint to his ears. He turned his attention forward again, and down to the device in his hands. "...You're very persistent."

Shelly snickered as she noticed the flushed skin. "Pot. Kettle. _Black_."

Homura could feel Shelly's eyes on his ears, and the blush instinctively deepened. "...Regardless, I have a responsibility to Matsubusa."

Shelly let out an overdramatic sigh as she flipped her long hair back away from her face. "Isn't it just the way? The good ones are already smitten with someone else. How will I ever compete with your unrequited love?"

Homura quirked his eyebrow as he kept his eyes on the screen in front of him. "...Are you familiar with the Kaina City Ferry Disaster?"

All humor drained from Shelly's face as she slowly straightened up. "Who isn't?"

"A morning ferry straight out of Kaina City was attacked by Sharpedos," Homura said, his voice going low. "It was the largest attack carried out by wild Pokémon, and it completely destroyed the previous belief that Pokémon weren't capable of organizing and carrying out a full-scale assault against humans. Of the three hundred people onboard, only ten survived - nine Pokémon trainers and a child."

Shelly's fingers curled around her mug. "Something tells me I'm not going to like where this is going."

"The child only survived due to being trapped in his room, inside the capsized vessel," Homura said. "Though he naturally would have died eventually when either the air ran out or the water finished flooding the room, had he not been rescued by the Pokémon Rangers." The personal assistant paused before he finally turned to Shelly, his expression hard. "That child was Matsubusa."

For a long while, Shelly could only stare at Homura, before finally she took a swig of Irish cream directly from the bottle.

"Matsubusa can't handle water, he can't handle _oceans_. He's not particularly fond of _storms, _either," Homura murmured as he bowed his head. "Is your _captain_ even _capable_ of handling that kind of terror?"

The bottle hit the table with a loud clunk as Shelly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "I should've brought out the harder stuff for this kind of conversation."

Homura glanced back at Shelly. "...I can't rest until I know he's safe."

Shelly took a deep breath and started to exhale slowly, but the air wound up rushing out with a huff. "Well. That explains a lot. If it helps at all, he's safe. Aogiri's got too big a heart and if somehow it came down to one of them dying, he'd take the bullet for Matsubusa. Not to mention there's Dante and all of Aogiri's Pokémon and the fact that they're in a reinforced military base."

"But can he take Matsubusa's fear?" Homura asked, his voice quiet. "His trauma?"

Shelly blew a strand of hair from her face. "Can anyone?" She took another gulp of Irish cream.

Homura went silent for several moments before he reached for his coffee, pausing only when Shelly suddenly intercepted his hand with the fresh cup she had brought. The personal assistant glanced at the redhead, then accepted the beverage. "After his parents were killed, Matsubusa was placed in an orphanage."

Shelly poured more cream into her coffee before sipping from the mug, the bitterness offsetting the strong sweetness of the cream. "Let me guess - from then on his life was only sunshine and rainbows and happiness, right?"

Homura snorted derisively as he put down his Pokédex, holding his coffee with both hands. "People _jumped_ at the opportunity to adopt him. It must've sounded quite glamorous and _noble_, adopting the only child survivor of such a terrible incident." The personal assistant's expression darkened. "But when they found out how _difficult_ it'd be, and how _work_ they'd have to put in... they promptly returned him, as if he were a damn _shoe_ that didn't fit."

Shelly gawked at Homura. "You're kidding."

"It happened _seven_ times, with the final one lasting a _single day_," Homura said, his voice rough. "They finally stopped trying to get him adopted when Matsubusa lashed out at the next set of parents, violently attacking them. He apparently _bit_ one of the orphanage workers, so they decided he was _too unstable_."

There was nothing Shelly could say to that; all she could manage was a low whistle.

"...If your captain can't handle him at his worst, he needs to back out _now_," Homura said. "_Before_ Matsubusa becomes too attached. He's been abandoned _enough_."

Shelly propped her elbow up on the table and leaned against her hand as she regarded Homura's words. "I think you're underestimating Aogiri. Not that I blame you, given Matsubusa has gone through absolute shit. But if you think it isn't already too late for them to break it off before either of them get hurt, then you've been jamming your fingers in your ears and your thumbs in your eyes to what's been building up between them."

Homura paused at that before he grimaced and let out a heavy sigh. "...I know."

"Aogiri has a big heart," Shelly said softly. "It'd kill him if he made Matsubusa suffer." She placed her hand on Homura's shoulder. "He'll take care of him."

Homura looked at Shelly before he stared down in to his cup. "...Good. Because I'll kill him if he doesn't."

Shelly snickered. "I'd think Matsubusa has dibs on making Aogiri a corpse."

"I'm the quicker draw." Homura said, with a smirk.

Shelly walked her fingers up along Homura's arm. "So you're saying when it comes to shooting, you're the fastest around?"

Homura paused at that before he eyed Shelly. "I hit my target, if that's what you're implying."

Shelly chuckled as she toyed with Homura's sleeve. "Accuracy is important, but many would argue that stamina is _the_ most important trait a man can have when shooting his gun."

Homura quirked an eyebrow. "I'd say it's more about making each shot count."

Shelly smirked. "So each round of yours can send someone to their knees in record time? Sounds fun."

Homura regarded the redhead, his expression amused - albeit tired. "You _would_ like the sound of that, wouldn't you?"

Shelly inched closer to Homura, her smile curving wickedly at the corners. "Of course, you'll understand if I want to put these boasts of yours to the test, right?"

"Naturally," Homura said, before he sipped his coffee. "...I might try some of that Irish cream after all."

Shelly dropped her voice into a low, sultry whisper. "Good. I hear it pairs beautifully with Kalos cheesecake."

* * *

Dawn had not yet broken over the horizon, though the storm thankfully had. With no thunderous storm clouds in the sky, it was actually turning out to be a rather peaceful morning at the docks in Kaina City.

Dozens of men and women scurried about an expensive-looking boat, a private charter with no discernible markings. Kagari watched as the sailors prepared their vessel for them, her arms crossed. Kazan Industries didn't own any boats for rather obvious reasons, and without Tabitha, a helicopter was out of the question. As a result, Kagari had no choice but to rent a boat for their purposes.

Naturally, once they arrived at the base for their rendezvous with Homura, the hired sailors and the ship would be left behind – left on the lifeboats to make their way back to shore. She wasn't about to keep them around any longer than she had to. She would've preferred using grunts from Team Magma out of uniform, but that'd mean exposing her face to them. In the end, this was the best option.

Kagari hummed as she noticed the preparations had been completed, then turned to glance in to the limo, through the open door. "Honey, the boat's ready. Are you awake?"

A gentle snort followed by a quiet snore answered as Courtney shifted slightly on the plush seat cushions. She hadn't even changed, still wearing her Charizard pajamas. The sleep debt she accumulated had hit her hard, keeping her asleep in spite of all the noise and commotion going on as many people rushed to get the boat ready swiftly.

Kagari moved forward to peer in to the limo, before a soft smile appeared on her face. "I'll take that as a 'no'."

There was no response from Courtney, just the soft expression of someone who was finally relaxed and enjoying some pleasant dreams.

Kagari giggled before she moved to carefully pick up Courtney, her expression wry. She made certain not to jostle her comrade as she secured her hold on their Tech Master, then proceeded towards the boat. Courtney rested in Kagari's arms as if she weighed nothing at all.

"Hold it right there!"

Kagari paused, the voice vaguely familiar. She glanced over her shoulder to see the source before her expression immediately became neutral. Striding through the dock towards them was none other than Police Chief Junsar, moving as quickly as she could with a group of officers behind her. "...My. You're quite a ways from Kanto, aren't you."

"I know what you're trying to do," Junsar said, her voice sharp as she came to a stop beside the Team Magma admin. "You're planning on negotiating with the kidnappers."

Kagari's expression remained neutral, not giving away any of her thoughts. "And if we are?"

"This is an official matter for the police," Junsar said as she moved in front of Kagari. "You don't make a move without me knowing about it. If you're going to contact the kidnappers, then we're going to be there to nail them."

Kagari quirked an eyebrow at Junsar. "This is an official matter for _Kazan Industries_. And, quite frankly, your sudden desire to _assist_ is too_ little_, too _late_."

Junsar let out a huff of frustration as her fingers itched to grab the cigarettes in her pocket. "We're _trying_ to help get Mr. Kazan back as quickly as possible."

"I sincerely doubt that," Kagari said, stiffly, before she resumed walking towards the boat. She purposely stepped around Junsar, without hesitation. "_Rest assured_, we're already in the process of securing Mr. Kazan's safe return."

Junsar went rigid, her eyes following Kagari. "You made a deal."

"Kazan Industries is withholding comment at this time," Kagari said as she carried Courtney across the docks. "I'm sure you can understand, given the precarious situation."

After only a moment's hesitation, Junsar raced after Kagari to intercept the other woman before the admins boarded the boat. "Hold it!"

Kagari's cheek twitched and she stopped momentarily, glancing back at Junsar with thinly disguised irritation. "Yes?"

"You're going with police escort," Junsar said with a note of finality. "I won't hear any argument."

"...Oh, yes, because it makes _perfect sense_ to go _negotiate_ with _pirates_ while having a _police escort_," Kagari said, icily.

"This will be coordinated by the police," Junsar said, her steely gaze meeting Kagari's. "Just do what we say and we'll ensure Mr. Kazan will return safely."

"As a corpse, right?" Kagari asked, sweetly with only a hint of malice. "No, thank you, Chief Junsar. We're already quite aware of where you priorities are - and they are _not_ with Mr. Kazan's safe return."

Junsar opened her mouth to reply when Courtney raised her head and opened two bloodshot eyes.

"Get a warrant," Courtney snarled, "or _fuck off_!"

Kagari paused and looked down at Courtney before she smiled. "...As my comrade says. Get a warrant... or fuck off." Without waiting for a response, the admin of Team Magma turned on her heels and resumed walking towards the boat.

Junsar glared at the two women, clenching her fingers in to fists, and watched their departure as her fellow officers approached her. "Get the boats ready," she said under her breath.

* * *

Aogiri wasn't much of an early riser except for when he had something planned for that day. That's why he roused closer to noon than dawn, and even then did so with some difficulty. He yawned and stretched away the lethargy weighing down his muscles, but took care not to displace the lithe man using him as part pillow and part heating pad.

The sight of Matsubusa sleeping so soundly against him brought a smile to Aogiri's face. "I could get used to waking up like this," he whispered before he ran his fingers lightly through the other man's vibrant red hair.

Matsubusa made a soft noise at the touch before he moved to bury his face in Aogiri's chest, letting out a sigh.

The gentle nuzzling motion felt wonderful to Aogiri, even through the thin cloth of his silky pajamas. Privately, he lamented that he was deprived of the feeling of Matsubusa's skin against his, but he knew that the redhead wasn't ready for them to sleep together naked yet. However, such a tiny pang of regret wasn't enough to ruin his enjoyment of their closeness. "I _definitely _could get used to waking up like this," he murmured as he watched Matsubusa with fond eyes.

For several minutes more, Aogiri was able to savor the moment before a knock at the door caught his attention. He sighed before angling his head towards the door. "Come on in."

Matsubusa didn't rouse, even by the sound of the knocking. Instead, he remained sprawled out against the pirate, finding comfort in his firm, hot body.

The door opened to reveal Matt, who gawked at the scene before closing it almost completely. "Sorry!"

Aogiri laughed at the reaction. "Relax, we're all decent in here. Just spending a little extra cuddle time before breakfast, that's all."

Matsubusa grunted, a grimace appearing on his face before he pressed it further in to Aogiri's perfect pectorals. Mollified, he rather quickly settled down back to sleep, his arms draped across the pirate's body.

Aogiri quieted immediately and stroked Matsubusa's hair with a tender touch as he watched Matt open the door again. "Let's keep it down," he whispered. "Masky could use all the rest he can get."

"Right," Matt whispered as he tried to keep his gaze away from the bed, just in case. "I just wanted to let you guys know we arrived, safe and sound. We docked and unloaded the ship, no problems. We'll have the crew keep it down when going near your room. Should I wait an hour to bring breakfast?"

Aogiri considered the question for a moment. "Bring something that'll keep for a while, like fruit and some water. When Masky wakes up, I'm sure he'll want something that has nothing to do with fish."

The continued conversation filtered in through the sleep clouding Matsubusa's head, a nagging sensation that pressed him to wake even when his body insisted it would rather not. His body was still winning the argument, at least for the moment.

"Okay," Matt said as he backed up a step. He nearly closed the door when he paused. "Is he, um, okay?"

Aogiri turned a fond gaze to Matsubusa's sleeping form. "As okay as he can be. I think as long as we keep him on land for a while and only move him around by air whenever he wants to go home, we should be good."

"So... that's it then, I guess?" Matt asked.

"The ball's in Masky's court now," Aogiri murmured before placing a brief kiss on Matsubusa's temple. "Whatever he says goes. I owe him that much." He paused and chuckled ruefully. "Maybe I should've gone with plan B after all."

Matsubusa made a small noise at the kiss, which was dismissed by Aogiri as he returned his attention to Matt. It had, however, done its job in tipping the scales in consciousness' favor, prompting the redhead's eyes to groggily open however slightly. He blinked blurrily, the world not entirely in focus as the voices still sounded a bit muddled – but he could at least recognize that words were being spoken.

Matt turned a skeptical eye Matsubusa's way. "I still don't think he would've taken you prisoner. He would've just tied you to a mast covered in penis graffiti like Shelly and left you for us."

A snort of laughter escaped through Aogiri's nose. "Maybe, or maybe I could've sweet talked him into making me his love slave."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Somehow I doubt it."

Matsubusa blinked slowly, his eyes drifting up to look at Aogiri's face. The pirate wasn't looking at him, instead talking to someone else. He watched Aogiri's lips as they moved, as the words the leader of Team Aqua spoke drifted in to his ears, to his sleep-weary head. It was then that the words finally registered. The redhead blinked once, then twice, before he jerked, pushing himself upwards in shock as he let out a startled shriek. "_L-l-l-love slave_!?"

Aogiri started at the sudden outburst then blinked before he burst out laughing. "Don't worry about missing out - I'm still game to try it if you are!"

Matsubusa's jaw dropped as he gaped at Aogiri, his face solid red. "W-w-what sort of nonsense are you babbling with me right here in the room!?"

"Oh, just my back up plan if our mission to kidnap you went completely south," Aogiri chuckled before lightly poking Matsubusa's nose. "That's all."

Matsubusa squeaked and jerked back, reaching up to cover his nose. "Y-your backup plan was... _that_!?"

Matt rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "If snagging you failed, our brilliant captain was going to set himself up to literally fall into your lap and taunt you into taking him prisoner."

Aogiri waggled his eyebrows. "Hey, you can't tell me that you haven't been tempted to tie me up and have fun fulfilling whatever naughty fantasies are brewing in that brilliant brain of yours."

Matsubusa sputtered in protest, his blush spreading like wildfire until it was the same shade as his hair. He could only let out a stream of incoherent sounds as he reached up and struck repeatedly at Aogiri's shoulder.

Aogiri laughed despite the blows, as there was barely any real power behind them. "Oh yeah, baby, I always pictured you as an S."

Matsubusa's voice rose in pitch and intensity as he proceeded to use both hands to strike at Aogiri's shoulder, all but shrieking his disapproval.

Aogiri chuckled softly as he waited the fit out before speaking again. "Should I get your whip out so we can do this BDSM thing properly?"

Matsubusa let out a strangled scream before he grabbed one of the pillows and swung it at Aogiri.

Aogiri let the pillow slap him flat onto the bed, laughing all the while. He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, I give, I'll stop teasing now. I throw myself upon your mercy!"

Matsubusa gasped for breath as he glared down at Aogiri, positively quivering with mortification. "Bastard!"

Aogiri kept his hands up and gave Matsubusa a lopsided smile. "I surrender. Do with me what you will."

Matsubusa opened his mouth to snap something when he paused, a little bell going off in his head. He stared at Aogiri before he bristled. "T-t-this is more of that 'l-l-l-_slave_ crap!?"

"Aw darn," Aogiri chuckled, "You guessed."

"Y-you bastard!" Matsubusa clenched his fists and shook them at Aogiri. "Y-y-you said you surrendered!"

"I do," Aogiri said as he reached out to stroke Matsubusa's wrist. "You can do anything you want to me. That's basically what surrendering means, isn't it?"

Matsubusa quivered at the touch before he huffed. "T-then I'm ordering you to not talk about that... that nonsense!"

Aogiri brought Matsubusa's hand to his mouth and brushed his lips across the knuckles. "As you wish, master... I mean Masky."

Matsubusa shivered at the contact, his face becoming flushed. "...I-idiot...!"

Matt cleared his throat loudly. "Still here, you guys. You want breakfast or not?"

Matsubusa jerked at that and whipped around to stare at Matt, his eyes growing quite large as his blush came back in full force.

Aogiri sat up and brushed his lips against one of Matsubusa's blazing cheeks as he slid his arms around the redhead's waist. "Yup. Cancel what I said before - bring us something nice and _hot_."

Matsubusa hesitated before he lifted the pillow he held to cover his face, letting out a frustrated groan.

"Right," Matt said, drawing the word out as he shook his head slightly. "And I'll bring something for Levi and Masky's Houndoom too while I'm at it."

Matsubusa paused and peered around the edge of the pillow, his eyes falling on the Pokémon in question. The leader of Team Magma stared as Dante and Leviathan both looked at him from their position on the floor, by the doorway. A tremor ran through Matsubusa's body as Leviathan grinned at him, wiggling her brow, as Dante fixed him with a level stare of pure judgment. A swelling of shame flooded the redhead before he whipped his arm back, creating enough force to let him hurl the pillow at the Pokémon. "_Stop staring at me_!"

Leviathan took the pillow to her face, the fluffy object bouncing off uselessly and landing at the floor. The pillow did absolutely nothing to alter the Feraligatr's expression, the Pokémon still grinning brightly at the mortified man.

Aogiri chuckled. "Don't stress about it, Masky. It's not like they haven't seen kinkier from us."

Matsubusa trembled before he grabbed another pillow and flopped back on the bed. He pulled the pillow over his face, covering it as he attempted to smother the groan of frustration that escaped him - or perhaps just smother _himself_.

Aogiri quirked an eyebrow. "Okay, maybe they haven't. Can't say asphyxiation is really my kink, but I guess I'll give it a shot if it turns _you_ on, Masky."

Matsubusa paused before he sat up sharply, letting out a growl as he lunged to try and shove the pillow against Aogiri's face. "_Bastard_!"

Aogiri let out a yelp that was muffled by the pillow as he flailed his arms and legs about in an exaggerated fashion for about ten seconds before dramatically flopping back limp and still.

Matsubusa blinked slowly before he let out a heavy sigh. "Idiot."

After a moment, Aogiri lifted the pillow so that Matsubusa could see his wink. "Nope, still not my kink."

Matsubusa sighed wearily before looked away. As he did, his eyes suddenly fell on Matt, who was still standing beside the bed. What immediately caught Matsubusa's eye, however, was the fact that the admin was holding his Pokédex up. "...Huh?"

"Don't mind me," Matt said without looking away from his Pokédex's screen. "I just like getting photographic evidence of all the dumb stuff my friends get in to. Just keep pretending to smother Aogiri."

Matsubusa gaped at Matt, his face turning red once more. He let out a startled cry before he hurled the pillow at the admin. "_Bastard_!"

Matt yowled as the pillow nearly knocked the Pokédex from his hand, and he beat a hasty retreat. "Hey! I was going to title the video 'Team Magma defeats Team Aqua' you know."

Matsubusa paused in mid-strike, holding another pillow high over his shoulder. "...Really?"

Matt shrugged. "Either that or Team Magma leader slays Team Aqua leader or something like that. Clever titles are pretty hard to think of sometimes, you know? I'm open to suggestions if you've got any."

Matsubusa considered that, torn with indecision. The logical response would be to continue striking at Matt with pillows. And yet, his defeat of Aogiri - even with just pillows - was very appealing. Goodness knows Aogiri had more than his fair share of victories the past few days.

Aogiri took advantage of the inattention to run his fingers ticklishly upward along Matsubusa's sides. "So you want everyone to know that you dominate me, huh?"

Matsubusa arched his back with a squeak, dropping the pillow as a shiver ran up his spine. "Hya-hah!?"

Aogiri sat up, pressing his chest flush against Matsubusa's back as he leaned in to whisper huskily in the redhead's ear. "If that's what you want, I'll be happy to let everyone know that you own me."

Matsubusa squeaked again as he clasped his hands over his mouth to stifle any more embarrassing sounds. He glanced back at Aogiri as he made a noise of protest through his hands, his breathing hitching.

"And that's my cue to leave," Matt said as he turned on his heel before marching double time to the door. "Dumb stuff is fine, but I ain't filming no porno."

Matsubusa jerked as he whirled to stare at Matt, then removed his hands as he made to follow. "N-no! No porno! _It's not a porno_!"

Matt didn't so much as look back as he made his hasty exit, slamming the door shut behind him.

Matsubusa gawked at the closed door, then whirled about to furiously shake his fists at the pirate. "You made him think I'm a _pervert_!"

"Actually, he was assuming _I'm_ the pervert," Aogiri said slyly. "Considering I once shorted out his brain when we were moving supplies and the bottom dropped out of my box of _toys_."

Matsubusa paused at that. "...Toys?"

A wicked glint came to Aogiri's eye. "Would you like to see them?"

Matsubusa's eyes shot straight up in alarm. There was no way the look on Aogiri's face could mean anything good. "...No. Absolutely not."

Aogiri snapped his fingers and pouted. "Too soon for that too, huh?"

"_Never_ would be too soon." Matsubusa said, firmly.

Aogiri drew circles slowly on Matsubusa's stomach. "You sure about that? I guarantee my toys are a _tons_ of fun."

Matsubusa shivered at the touch before he reached down to grab Aogiri's wrists. "E-enough! No more toys! No more _talking_ about toys!"

Aogiri let out an overly dramatic sigh before resting his chin on Matsubusa's shoulder. "O - kaaayyy, but you're missing out. I use them all the time and have a _blast_." His smile turned lewd. "Literally."

Matsubusa's eyes widened, completely aghast. With a sputter, he shoved against Aogiri's chest. "Y-you're doing this on _purpose_!"

"What?" Aogiri asked with faux innocence. "You mean tempting you with mind-blowing orgasms?" A soft chuckle escaped him. "You better believe it, baby."

Matsubusa moved his hands to cover Aogiri's mouth, glowering through his embarrassment. "It's too early for... for this nonsense!"

Though Aogiri was unable to speak, is muffled laughter beneath Matsubusa's hands was response enough for the leader of Team Magma.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: **Please be advised that this chapter has been censored in order to fit within this site's rating guidelines, with the respective areas designated by a #. For the full chapter and the mature content within, please see either our Tumblr _DragonandTiger_ or our Archive of Our Own accounts as users _Mouko_ or _Yuki_. Due to the censoring of outside links, we unfortunately cannot provide them directly. We apologize for the inconvenience.

* * *

Matsubusa had expected an actual bathroom, with a normal bathtub – much like what he had seen on the boat. But apparently that was too _normal_ for Aogiri, king of the ocean. There was no bathtub, no shower for the pirate. Instead, what basically amounted to a _pool_ took up most of the room, filled with steaming water being pushed upward in to the 'tub' itself through underwater jets scattered about. Matsubusa stared at the room, vaguely wondering if it was a bathroom that Aogiri had renovated or some sort of military research lab that was repurposed in to a bathroom. Either way, the pool was far too large for just one person, even if he had an overgrown Feraligatr as a Pokémon.

"So what do you think?" Aogiri asked, torn between amusement and concern.

Matsubusa hesitated before he glanced over to Aogiri. "...You really don't know what moderation is, do you?"

Aogiri chuckled as he hooked his arm around the redhead's waist. "Nope! If I was the type to settle for less, I wouldn't have busted everyone's ass trying to get your attention." He grinned at the pink that appeared on Matsubusa's cheeks and took that as his cue to steal a kiss from the other man.

Matsubusa made a soft noise in to the kiss, melting against the pirate. Once the kiss ended, he looked away, his face burning with the same heat he felt in his veins. "I-idiot..."

When they parted, Aogiri's eyes softened with a tinge of worry. "Are you going to be okay taking a bath in something this big? I can lower the water level or drain it and we can use the showerheads." He nodded to the wall where a row of showers and faucets were lined up beside plastic buckets and bath products.

Matsubusa glanced down at the water before he looked away. "...It's not deep. It's... it's fine. It's just a bathtub. ...A _big_ bathtub."

Aogiri took in the redhead's body language for a moment before placing a kiss on the crown of Matsubusa's head. "Okay. Just make sure to give me a heads up if you need me to do anything to make you more comfortable, okay?"

Matsubusa blushed darkly at the kiss and glanced at the pirate out of the corner of his eyes. "...Does that include not teasing me?"

Mischief was quick to return to Aogiri's expression as he wore a wide smile. "Not a chance. You'd miss it too much."

Matsubusa huffed, in a sulk. "And what, precisely, would I miss about you doing your best to annoy me?"

Aogiri lightly traced the contours of Matsubusa's chin. "You'd miss me making you feel like the sexiest man alive like I know you are."

Matsubusa's eyes widened as his heart fluttered in his chest. He outright gaped at Aogiri before he quickly looked away, swatting at the pirate's hand. "T-t-that's... that's stupid! You're stupid!"

Aogiri was quick to snatch the other man's hand so that he could kiss the back of it. "There's nothing stupid about how you drive me _crazy_ in all the best ways."

Matsubusa's fingers curled as a small shiver ran through him, his body growing uncomfortably warm. "...Y-you're just... talking nonsense..."

"Nope," Aogiri said cheerfully before giving Matsubusa's hand one final kiss. "You are _amazing_."

Matsubusa's hand trembled as he made a small noise of embarrassment, unable to look at the pirate as he didn't trust the expression on his face. "I-i-i-idiot...!"

Aogiri released Matsubusa's hand so he could toy with the CEO's collar. "So... shall we get this bath started?"

Matsubusa paused at that before his eyes darted to his collar, then Aogiri's face. "...Eh?"

One by one, Aogiri took his time in undoing the buttons of Matsubusa's changshan. "Gotta get undressed to get cleaned up you know."

Matsubusa's eyes flickered from the pirate's hands to his face, embarrassment mingling with panic as realization hit him. "E-eh, I... y-you mean... n-n-naked!?"

Aogiri couldn't help but burst out laughing. "You know any other way to take a bath?"

The redhead faltered, then reached up to grab at the front of his changshan, holding it shut. "Y-you're going to look at me!"

Aogiri leaned in to nuzzle Matsubusa's nose with his. "I'd look at you even if you were wearing a trash bag." He paused, cocking his head back. "Okay, granted, I'd be laughing my ass off until you kicked mine, but I'd still think you look sexy in it."

Matsubusa blinked before he furrowed his brow. "...A trash bag."

Aogiri used the confusion as a distraction so that he could resume unbuttoning Matsubusa's changshan. "Definitely. You look fantastic in _anything_... or nothing at all."

Matsubusa opened his mouth to speak, then noticed Aogiri's fingers moving ever downward. He felt a chill run up his spine before he reached down to grab the pirate's wrists. "Y-you just want to see me naked!"

"You better believe it, sexy," Aogiri said with a smirk. "No matter how many times I see it, I can't get enough of that fantastic body of yours."

Matsubusa sputtered, as he hadn't been prepared for Aogiri to admit it so openly. "Y-you-!"

Aogiri cut off whatever protest Matsubusa might have made as he stole a kiss from the leader of Team Magma's lips.

Matsubusa's eyes widened as he felt Aogiri's lips against his own. He quivered before he fumbled to grasp at Aogiri's shirt for support, the pirate's warmth flooding in to his body. "M-mnn..."

As Aogiri took his time to savor the kiss, he kept his hands busy working on Matsubusa's buttons until he unfastened the changshan completely.

Matsubusa only became aware of what Aogiri had done when he suddenly felt the pirate pull his changshan open, exposing his chest and stomach to the cold air. He broke the kiss with a startled yelp, then fumbled to grab at the clothing. "Y-you tricked me-!"

Aogiri placed a kiss just below Matsubusa's ear before letting out a husky murmur. "Nah, I just wanted to kiss you."

Matsubusa paused at that before he blushed furiously. "...But you don't deny that you took advantage."

Aogiri chuckled. "Nope, never~!" He brushed his lips against Matsubusa's warm cheeks. "You're so damn desirable I can barely keep myself under control."

Matsubusa shivered at the touch, then sighed heavily. "_Honestly_..."

Aogiri slipped his arms around Matsubusa's waist and held the half-naked man close with a wry smile. "Besides, we've already seen each other naked before, remember?"

Matsubusa paused at that. "What? When!?"

"Mostly when you weren't doing so hot," Aogiri said, his smile slipping a little, but only for a moment. "I'll damn well never forget our first kiss was when we were naked in the bath together. I was thinking of that last night when I rubbed one off."

Matsubusa jerked as he stared at Aogiri, mortification flooding his face as the pirate's words brought to mind the exact moment in question. "I-I wasn't paying attention to that! I was... I was distracted! It doesn't count!"

Aogiri cocked an eyebrow. "Which doesn't count - the kiss or getting naked with me?"

Matsubusa bristled. "...N-neither!"

Aogiri's eyes widened slightly as he looked Matsubusa over thoughtfully. "Oh hoh? You want a do over on our first kiss, eh? Well, I'm game, but I'm not sure how we're going to top what we already have."

Matsubusa hesitated before he looked away. He knew he was only embarrassing himself further, but he really didn't see any way to turn back. At the very least, there was no way Aogiri'd let him escape from the trap of his own making. "Y-you're just imagining things!"

Aogiri slid the changshan off Matsubusa's shoulders while the redhead was distracted. "Seems to me I didn't imagine kissing you just a minute ago."

Matsubusa was about to retort when he felt the air against his shoulders. He jerked as he realized what the pirate had done and whirled to face him. "S-s-stop trying to distract me so you can take my clothes off!"

Aogiri placed a kiss on Matsubusa's collar bone as his hands slid slowly down the other man's sides, delighting in the touch of Matsubusa's creamy pale skin. "Okay, I'll make you _very_ aware of _everything_ as I strip you _naked_."

Matsubusa's breathing hitched at the gentle touch. "...Y-you just can't keep your hands to yourself."

Aogiri met Matsubusa's gaze with mischief dancing in his eyes as he hooked his thumbs into the other man's pants. "Not when it comes to you, Masky."

Matsubusa opened his mouth to retort when he was suddenly interrupted by the pirate pulling his pants down, and his underwear with them. The redhead let out a startled yelp and just had enough time to grab his changshan and pull it closed around his front as he glared furiously at the pirate. "_Bastard_!"

Aogiri couldn't help but chuckle as he placed his hands over Matsubusa's. "You do know that you'll wreck your clothes if you take a bath while wearing them, right?"

"T-that's Homura's problem, not mine!" Matsubusa snapped, his face brilliantly red as he held his changshan tightly.

Aogiri let out a snort of laughter through his nose. "Oh hoh, trying to get me jealous by talking about another man stripping you?"

Matsubusa's eyebrows shot straight up as he gawked at Aogiri. "W-wh... what!? No!"

Lightly, Aogiri stroked Matsubusa's hands. "I already told you before - I'm _way_ too greedy to share." A predatory grin graced his face. "So that means no threesomes, orgies, ménages, or whatever else involves someone else getting their hands on this sexy body of yours."

Matsubusa felt a shiver at the look, but he opted to focus more on the unsavory implications. "I-I didn't... we're not... do I _look_ like I'd be-!?"

Aogiri couldn't keep a straight face for long when Matsubusa became so adorably flustered. "I'm just messing with you." He placed a kiss on the Team Magma leader's forehead. "I'm pretty sure you're a one-man, man."

Matsubusa blinked before he fidgeted, tugging at his changshan. "...O-of course. Of... of course you were. I knew that!"

Aogiri leaned in until his forehead pressed lightly against Matsubusa's, which allowed him to gaze deeply into the other man's captivating crimson eyes. "Good, and I hope you also know that I never took advantage of you before when you were naked, and I don't plan on starting." He winked. "Unless you want me to, of course."

Matsubusa's expression softened as he felt his temperature rising, warmth flooding through his body pleasantly. "...D-Dante would've fried you, anyway."

Aogiri laughed as he wrapped his arms around Matsubusa and pulled his beloved into a warm embrace. "True enough!"

Matsubusa found himself enjoying the closeness in spite of himself, and the fact that he had only his partially worn changshan to cover his modesty. It was long enough to cover what it needed at any rate. "...You're really far too cuddly for a _pirate_."

Aogiri gave Matsubusa a wry look. "I'm no ordinary pirate. I'm the king of the sea, baby!"

"That's even worse, isn't it?" Matsubusa asked as he quirked an eyebrow.

Aogiri mirrored Matsubusa's expression. "Are you complaining?"

Matsubusa paused at that before he looked away. "I'm... I'm _observing_."

Aogiri chuckled before he leaned in to nip lightly on Matsubusa's ear. "So you _like_ it then~?"

Matsubusa's breathing hitched as he shivered. "I-I didn't... I didn't say that!"

"How about this?" Aogiri asked, his voice husky as he lightly dragged his teeth downward along Matsubusa's neck.

Matsubusa gasped as his hands unthinkingly went to grab at Aogiri's shirt, the redhead trembling against the pirate. "H-hyah-!"

"I'll take that as a yes," Aogiri murmured against Matsubusa's skin.

Matsubusa shivered, as he could feel the pirate's lips move against his skin. He never would have imagined such a gesture could feel so good, and yet he couldn't deny the way his body was reacting. "Y-you..."

Aogiri placed his hands on Matsubusa's shoulders so that he could slide them down the other man's arms. He savored how his touch elicited such cute sounds and shivers from Matsubusa, as well as the fact that it distracted the leader of Team Magma from noticing him stealing the changshan and leaving Matsubusa fully exposed.

Matsubusa felt his heart racing in his chest, heat flowing through his veins like lava. It was becoming increasingly difficult to focus when the pirate was touching him so _inappropriately_, and yet he couldn't bring himself to tell Aogiri to stop. "A-Aogiri..."

Aogiri straightened up to get a better look at Matsubusa before getting swept up in the irresistible urge to steal a kiss from his beloved's lips. "I love it when you moan my name so sweetly."

Matsubusa blinked blurrily and stared at Aogiri before he felt a wave of embarrassment. "T-that... that wasn't a moan!"

Aogiri let out an amused hum before he took Matsubusa's hands in his and placed them against his shirt. "Mind helping me with my clothes now?"

Matsubusa paused and glanced down at Aogiri's shirt, then tentatively peered back up at the pirate's face. He hoped that his face didn't show how anxious he felt, even though he knew it was a futile thought. "...Ah."

Aogiri's expression softened in the face of Matsubusa's nervousness and he brought one of the other man's hands to his mouth to kiss the back of it, never breaking eye contact. "Take it as slow as you need, beautiful."

Matsubusa felt a rush of pleasure, both at Aogiri's words and his actions. After a moment of hesitation, he proceeded to slowly unbutton the pirate's shirt, exposing the bronze pectorals underneath.

Aogiri couldn't help but smile as he kept his gaze on Matsubusa's flushed face and those hesitant hands slowly relieving him of his sleep shirt. "However far you want to go, I'm happy with that because we'll be going there together."

Matsubusa slowly and carefully peeled back the pirate's shirt before he looked back up to Aogiri's face, his own a deep shade of red. "...You're really incorrigible."

Aogiri snickered as he waggled his eyebrows. "You better believe it, babe."

Matsubusa rolled his eyes before he pushed the shirt off Aogiri's shoulders, allowing it to fall loose and slide down the pirate's arms. The redhead paused and watched as the leader of Team Aqua let the shirt fall to the floor, before he shifted his eyes to the other man's pants. "...Um."

Aogiri's grin widened. "Go ahead."

Matsubusa's eyes darted from Aogiri's face down to the pants. Indecision was clear on his face as he warred with himself. As always, his first reaction was to outright reject the very thought. And yet, he couldn't deny that he really wanted to do it - _really_ wanted to.

Aogiri hooked a thumb in his waistband and pulled his pants away from his waist, giving Matsubusa a tantalizing glimpse of places the redhead only dared think about in dreams.

Matsubusa jerked and clasped both of his hands over his mouth, trying to stifle the sound of surprise before it could escape him. He quickly looked away, his mortification spreading across his face and down his neck until it tinted his shoulders.

Aogiri used one hand to stifle his laughter before he moved in to brush his lips along Matsubusa's ear. "And it's all for _you_."

Matsubusa quivered, but refused to look at Aogiri as his face sizzled. "D-d-don't you know what underwear is!?"

This time Aogiri couldn't hold back his laughter. "Of course, but once you get used to going commando, you don't go back."

"Y-you bastard!" Matsubusa sputtered, his voice muffled by his hands. "Y-you did that on purpose! F-f-f-f-flashing me your... your _torpedo_!"

The word caught Aogiri off-guard. "Torpedo, eh?" He mulled over the moniker for a moment before laughing. "That's perfect! It's big and long and _explodes_!"

Matsubusa paused at that, horror dawning as he realized what he had just done. "...No. Absolutely not."

Aogiri leaned in close to Matsubusa as he tugged at his pants. "So, you ready to lock and load my torpedo, Masky?"

"No!" Matsubusa snapped as he lashed out to cover Aogiri's mouth. "You... don't call it that!"

Unable to answer, Aogiri merely let out a muffled chuckle, his eyes dancing with amusement.

Matsubusa huffed and was about to say something when he paused, noticing something amiss. He stared at Aogiri before he glanced down, his eyes falling on his naked body. A startled yelp was all Matsubusa could muster before he slapped his hands over his front and whirled on his heels, scurrying over to the water so that he could jump in and obstruct the view - but not before giving the pirate a view of his backside.

It was too much for Aogiri; he doubled over from laughter, slapping his knees.

Once safely in the water, Matsubusa whirled to glare at Aogiri. "You bastard!"

Aogiri wiped a tear from his eye as he struggled to get his laughter under control. "Oh come on, don't be mad. I got you ready for the bath, didn't I?"

Matsubusa glared balefully over the side of the pool, slouched beneath it so only the top of his head could be seen.

Aogiri crouched down at the edge of the bath beside Matsubusa. "Hey, hey, no need to sulk. We've taken a bath together before, remember~?"

Matsubusa narrowed his eyes before he huffed, looking away. "...W-well, I... suppose there's nothing to be done."

Aogiri kissed the top of Matsubusa's head before straightening up. "Glad to hear it."

Matsubusa shivered at the kiss before he looked up at Aogiri. His eyes fell on the pirate at the exact moment the other man was pulling down his pants, startling the redhead with a view he hadn't expected nor was prepared for. The leader of Team Magma let out a strangled sound before he whipped about, turning his back to the pirate as he stripped down to pure indecency.

Aogiri kicked his pants aside and smirked at Matsubusa. "You look away from all guys when taking a bath, or just the ones you think are drop dead sexy?"

"I-I take baths by myself!" Matsubusa snapped as he reached up to cover the lower part of his face, just in case.

"Ah," Aogiri said with a thoughtful nod. "Should've guessed."

Matsubusa paused at that and almost whipped about to glare at Aogiri, but managed to keep himself from doing so. Instead, he focused his ire at the water. "D-don't say that as if there's something wrong with me!"

Aogiri sat down at the edge of the tub, sticking his legs in the water beside Matsubusa. "I didn't. I just should've guessed it. My bad."

Matsubusa hesitated before he felt a wave of guilt. He wrapped his arms around himself as he furrowed his brow. "...T-this is... my first..."

Aogiri reached out to ruffle Matsubusa's hair. "Hey, I ain't judging. I'm having a great time, so there's no reason to get nervous. It's just the two of us spending time together and enjoying each other, that's all."

Matsubusa grimaced before he reached up to straighten his hair. "...F-fine. Just... just get in the water already! I can't even look at you, with your... with _that_ on display!"

"You mean my _torpedo of love_?" Aogiri teased before jumping into the bath.

"D-don't call it-!" Matsubusa snapped before he let out a yelp, water splashing in to his face. The redhead sputtered before he wiped the droplets away, grimacing.

Aogiri shook his head after emerging from the water and let out a pleased puff of air. "Damn does this water feel good!" He grinned at the dripping redhead. "Don't you think?"

Matsubusa eyed Aogiri before he huffed, as if exhaling his irritation through his mouth. "...Yes. It's... rather nice and warm."

Aogiri eased closer to Matsubusa, wrapping an arm around the other man's shoulders as he leaned in. "Though it's not as warm as you."

Matsubusa hesitated as he felt the pirate's firm body against his own, completely naked with only the water between them. "...I-I'm sure you're... contributing to that."

"Glad to hear it," Aogiri chuckled before placing a kiss on Matsubusa's shoulder. "I want to make you just as hot as you make me."

Matsubusa made a soft noise before he finally had the courage to look at Aogiri - out of the corner of his eyes, at least. "And... what happened to 'bathing'?"

Aogiri gave Matsubusa's skin a playful nip. "We're getting there... eventually."

Matsubusa squeaked, then reached up to touch the area, tentatively. "E-eventually...?"

Aogiri teasingly nipped at Matsubusa's fingers as they came close. "I want to enjoy getting a little _dirty_ with you before we get cleaned up."

Matsubusa's fingers twitched as his heart fluttered in his chest. "A-ah, um... d-dirty?"

Aogiri ran his tongue slowly along Matsubusa's index finger. "_Deliciously_ dirty."

Matsubusa stared at Aogiri's tongue, his eyes widening, before he let out a startled squeak and jerked his hand back. "Y-y-y-y-you-!"

Aogiri rested his chin on Matsubusa's shoulder and waggled his eyebrows. "Yes, _me_."

Matsubusa scowled as he held his hand protectively to his chest. "..._Honestly_. Do you really enjoy teasing me that much?"

Aogiri slowly traced a heart on Matsubusa's flushed skin. "I _live_ for it."

Matsubusa paused at that before he shivered. "...O-o-of course."

Aogiri brushed his lips against Matsubusa's shoulder. "The way you react to me drives me _wild_."

Matsubusa's breathing hitched before he reached over to push back Aogiri's face. "I-I can see that."

Aogiri laughed against Matsubusa's hand and allowed the leader of Team Magma to push him away.

Matsubusa huffed as he eyed Aogiri, then looked away. He admittedly wasn't nearly as bothered by everything as he was letting on, but he wasn't about to vocalize it. His feelings were confusing enough as it was. He had done far more with the pirate than he ever thought possible within the past few days, with bathing naked being rather high on the list. It was something he _never_ would've considered, and yet here he was sitting in a giant pool of hot water, completely naked. The redhead couldn't help but wonder if he had completely lost his mind.

Aogiri relinquished his hold on Matsubusa, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, kissing later, cleaning now."

"...F-finally," Matsubusa muttered before he glanced back at Aogiri. "Do you even _have_ soap?"

"Just a sec," Aogiri said before rising out of the water and exposing his glistening body to Matsubusa as he bent over the edge of the bath to grab some supplies set just within reach in a plastic bucket.

Matsubusa gave a small jerk, his eyes widening as he found himself staring at Aogiri's bare behind. He was struck completely mute, gaping at the bronze bun of muscle.

Out of the corner of his eye, Aogiri could see Matsubusa staring, and he pretended that he needed to stretch further than he had to in order to show off the way his finely sculpted muscles rippled with the movement.

Matsubusa's face became flushed as he gawked, his breathing hitching. He simply couldn't look away, even if he knew he should.

After Aogiri slid the soaps and such over to the side of the tub, he shifted his whole body towards Matsubusa with a cocky grin. "See anything you like?"

Matsubusa jerked again, Aogiri's voice knocking him out of his trance. Blushing horribly, he whirled to stare out across the room. "No! _Never_!"

Aogiri slid closer to Matsubusa, spooning the flushed redhead from behind. "Too bad, because I know I do."

Matsubusa squeaked as he felt Aogiri press up against him, which gave him a very good feel for _something_ poking in to his back. "I-I-I-!"

Aogiri kissed the place between Matsubusa's shoulder and neck with a chuckle. "Don't be afraid to tell me what you like, Masky. I want to do practically _anything_ to make you feel _fantastic_."

Matsubusa hesitated as visions of his dreams flooded his mind - Aogiri pinning him against the bed, touching him in indecent ways. It brought a rush of color to his face, joining what had already been there as he felt what he could only _imagine_ was _very inappropriate_ against his bare back. He quivered before he shook his head in an attempt to dispel both the images and the redness they brought. "B-bath! Bathing! _Bathing_!"

Aogiri laughed before he kissed Matsubusa's flushed cheek. "Right, right~!"

Matsubusa made a strangled noise of frustration in his throat, and resisted the urge to glare at Aogiri. "Y-you keep distracting us from the actual issue at hand!"

"Sorry, sorry," Aogiri said in a jovial tone. "My bad." He kissed Matsubusa again before he backed off a little to grab a washcloth. "I'll scrub you if you do me?"

Matsubusa paused as he considered that, then finally dared to glance at Aogiri. "...F-fine."

Aogiri snagged a bar of soap and worked the washcloth into a fine lather. "Don't mind my hard-on for you, I'll take care of it when it gets to be too hard to handle."

Matsubusa felt a shiver run up his spine and he whirled to gawk at Aogiri. "D-d-d-don't say stupid things like that!"

Aogiri chuckled before stealing a kiss from Matsubusa's lips. "I'm just letting you know that I'm not planning on anything more than a bit of flirting and teasing, so you don't have to worry about me coming on too strong even when I'm rock hard for you."

Matsubusa made a soft noise in to the kiss before he furrowed his brow, staring at Aogiri. "...I'll expect you to keep your word."

Aogiri's expression softened as he caressed Matsubusa's cheek with the soapy washcloth. "I will, and if I come on too strong because I'm thinking with my torpedo instead of my head, don't be afraid to let me know it."

Matsubusa was about to retort when he paused, his eyes widening. His face flooded with crimson as he bristled. "Y-you used that word again!"

Aogiri feigned innocence as he gently washed Matsubusa's flushed face. "Which word?"

Matsubusa glowered at Aogiri. "Y-you know which word!"

Aogiri let out a thoughtful hum as he worked his way down to Matsubusa's neck and shoulders. "Head? I know it can seem dirty, but I'm not talking about a bathroom, I swear."

Matsubusa stared blankly at Aogiri for a moment before the meaning of the pirate's words filtered in. "No! No, no, no! You know which word! You're just trying to make me say it!"

With skilled hands, Aogiri massaged the muscles in Matsubusa's arms as he worked his way down them. "I say lots of words you know, so there's all sorts of things you can be talking about, like maybe you think I'm _coming_ on too _strong_ for you."

Matsubusa made another sound of frustration. "No! _No_! Stop trying to pretend that you don't know you said torpedo-!" No sooner had the words left the redhead's mouth that he promptly snapped his mouth shut, eyes widening.

Aogiri's eyes lit up as he smirked. "Oh, riiiight, my absolute favorite nickname for my rock hard erection in the entire world that _you_ so thoughtfully gave me. How could I forget?"

Matsubusa quivered before he slammed his hands down, striking the water so that it splashed about. "You _bastard_!"

Aogiri closed his eyes as the water struck his face and chuckled. "That reminds me, you might wanna dunk your head to get all the soap off before it gets in your eyes."

Matsubusa paused at that before he huffed, shooting Aogiri a scowl. He reached over to grab a bucket that Aogiri had conveniently placed beside the tub and pulled it in, filling it with water before raising it above his head and dumping it over him, keeping his eyes and mouth firmly shut. As the water washed away the soap, it left the redhead sputtering for a moment before he gave a mighty shake of his head, flicking his hair back. "Y-you repurposed this in to a tub, but didn't think to include a showerhead!?"

Aogiri shrugged before nodding his head to the wall. "We didn't actually change it all that much. This place came with all the showerheads mounted over there. All we added was some jets to make this a huge ass hottub." He paused for a second. "Oh, and we made it more eco friendly. You wouldn't believe how wasteful military types can be."

Matsubusa paused at that before he quirked an eyebrow. "I'm very much aware."

Aogiri blinked then burst out laughing. "Of course you are! Look who I'm talking to!"

Matsubusa brushed back his bangs, moving the slick hair away from his eyes. "R-regardless. Surely a normal-sized bath tub would have sufficed?"

Aogiri shrugged. "Hey, when you've got as big a crew as I do, you need a place for them to get cleaned up or you're going to be marinating in stink."

Matsubusa paused at that before his eyes widened. "W-wait, you... you all bathe _together_!?"

Aogiri gave Matsubusa a wry smile. "Sort of. There's another bath just like this one for the women that Shelly and Izumi have been working on blinging up."

Matsubusa felt a swelling of irritation, which wasn't mollified by the fact that the women bathed separately. There was still the men to consider, and given their current situation, that was just as threatening. "But other people have still seen you naked!?"

Cocking an eyebrow, Aogiri couldn't help but smirk. "Why, Masky, you almost sound _jealous_ when you say it like that."

Matsubusa jerked, particularly at the smirk on Aogiri's face. Bristling, he quickly looked away. "W-why would I-!? I don't care! I don't care at all!"

Aogiri quietly chuckled as he went back to work on cleaning Matsubusa's chest. "Don't worry, there's never been another man who's made my torpedo rock hard and ready to explode."

Matsubusa twitched before he whirled to face Aogiri again, furiously clenching his fists and shaking them at the pirate. "Stop saying that word!"

Aogiri slid the washcloth down to Matsubusa's stomach. "Oh? Did you want me to call it my dick or cock then?"

Matsubusa jerked, then let out a yowl as he clasped his hands over Aogiri's mouth. "_No_!"

Aogiri chuckled behind Matsubusa's hand and moved on to scrub the redhead's sides.

Matsubusa shivered at the touch but managed to keep his glower, focusing it on Aogiri. "H-honestly! You... you never stop!"

Aogiri kissed the palm of Matsubusa's hand and wiggled his eyebrows.

Matsubusa pulled his hands back quickly, his face burning, and held them to his chest. "...C-can you actually focus less on being annoying and more on actually cleaning?"

Aogiri moved in closer so that he could slip his arms around Matsubusa and scrub the Team Magma leader's back. "Oh, believe me, I've been focusing on giving your beautiful body only the _best_ rub down."

Matsubusa trembled slightly as he felt Aogiri brush against him, in what was obviously an indirect embrace. He tried to control his fluttering heart, holding his hands firmly against his chest, as he waited for Aogiri to finish washing his back - or move on to his next tease, whichever came first.

As Aogiri slipped the washcloth beneath the water, he lingered on the small of Matsubusa's back, rubbing in slow circles. "I'd go lower, but I have a feeling you're not ready for me to go below the belt yet."

The very thought sent warmth flooding through Matsubusa's body. He quickly planted his hands on Aogiri's chest and pushed him back, quickly moving over to the side of the tub - and away from the pirate. "T-t-that's enough of you! My turn!"

Aogiri stifled a laugh as he held his hands up where Matsubusa could see them. "I had a feeling my fun was coming to an end."

Matsubusa didn't look at Aogiri, instead grabbing a washcloth and reaching for the soap. He paused, startled to see that instead of a single bottle or container of soap, there was a pile of assorted bars - each a different color and shape. "...What."

Aogiri moved closer to Matsubusa in order to see what caught the redhead's attention. "Heh. I see you've spotted our impressive amenities collection. My crew are experts at looting and making good use of all the goods from poachers and pirates."

"This is... this is just _junk_ soap!" Matsubusa protested as he picked up the little bars. "Cheap garbage that the ships use, little better than hand soap! It'll dry your skin out!"

Aogiri blinked, surprised by the outburst for a moment before amusement set in. "No problems there. Me and my mates go diving into the ocean all the time so our skin gets plenty of water."

"That's _sea water_!" Matsubusa protested. "It'll dry out your skin even _worse_! Do you even use moisturizers at all? What about lotion!?"

"Oh, I use _plenty_ of lotion," Aogiri said in a low, breathy purr near Matsubusa's ear. "Especially when I'm priming my torpedo for launch to thoughts of you."

Matsubusa jerked and dropped the soap, his shocked face glowing a brilliant shade of red. He trembled before swiftly grabbing one of the bars, lathering up the washcloth. "I-it'll work for now!"

Aogiri couldn't help but laugh at Matsubusa's expression, so perfectly boggled by the picture he painted in the other man's head. "Glad to hear it."

Matsubusa paused at the laugh, then scowled and slapped the washcloth against Aogiri's chest, smearing the soap on it. "It's no wonder you smell like fish and sea water all the time!"

Aogiri toned his laughter down to wry chuckles as he cocked an eyebrow. "Gee, a pirate who wears a diving suit 90% of the time and calls himself the King of the Sea smells of the ocean. What an unexpected development."

Matsubusa huffed as he ran the washcloth all along Aogiri's chest, doing his best to ignore the feeling of the perfect pectorals beneath it. "Being a _king_ of _pigs_ doesn't mean you have to _smell_ like one."

Aogiri found himself too distracted to listen too closely to what Matsubusa was saying, as he was focused on how the leader of Team Magma was stroking his chest so intimately. "Mmm... yesss..."

Matsubusa felt his heart skip a beat at the pirate's moan, his hand faltering before he resumed rubbing down the other man's chest. "...S-so long as you agree."

"I'll agree to anything as long as you keep doing that," Aogiri said, his voice low and rumbling, which Matsubusa could faintly feel through his diaphragm.

Matsubusa felt goosebumps forming on his skin despite the warm water, and he watched the pirate's face as he moved his hand across Aogiri's body. After lathering up the man's chest and shoulders, he tentatively began moving further south before hesitating at the water's edge. "...Um."

"Go as low as you like," Aogiri said with half-lidded eyes. "I'd love for you to scrub _every_ inch of me."

Matsubusa's face flushed red and he hesitated a moment before his hand tentatively ventured further beneath the water, going to Aogiri's stomach. He watched the pirate's face intently, looking for any excuse to stop - or to keep going.

Aogiri sighed in pleasure as he savored Matsubusa's touch. After a moment, his expression turned mischievous. "Lower."

Unthinkingly, Matsubusa moved to comply. The cloth drifted downward across the pirate's stomach, the redhead's touch tentative. He could feel Aogiri's abs, rockhard and powerful against the washcloth. He could only imagine the strength Aogiri had in his body, with his muscles so well-defined.

Aogiri was pleasantly surprised by Matsubusa complied with his request and leaned back slightly to better enjoy the sensation. "Oh yeah... that's it." He smirked a little, wondering how far the leader of Team Magma would go. "Lower."

Once again, Matsubusa's hand obediently moved downward. Only when his hand came to a stop did Matsubusa realize what he had done, and he froze as his hands came in contact with something hard and _hot_ against the washcloth. A shiver ran up Matsubusa's back as crimson exploded across his face.

#

A loud _bang_ caused both men to jerk and Aogiri winced in sudden pain as Matsubusa gripped him too hard due to surprise. He barely heard what their unexpected visitor said, instead turning his head to roar in rage over their outburst. "What the hell are you doing?! I said no one disturbs us while we're in here!"

Matt stumbled a step, caught off-guard by Aogiri's anger, but he was too panicked to stop and think about why. "The police are converging on the other base!"

"We gotta go rescue Izumi and Shelly – fast!" Ushio agreed as he made a swiping gesture with his arm.

Matsubusa swiftly retracted his hand from Aogiri and crouched down, his wide eyes peering over the edge of the tub in absolute mortification. The feeling only grew when he saw Dante and Leviathan abandon their posts outside the door to come inside, and the Houndoom quirked an eyebrow at him.

Aogiri's eyes were ice, hard and unforgiving as his entire body went rigid. "Go get the crew ready for battle! All hands on deck!"

"Aye aye, cap'n!" Ushio barked as he clenched his fists, then whirled on his heels and darted out of the room.

Matt took a moment to catch his breath and saluted before he started after Ushio.

"Matt!" Aogiri barked, freezing Matt in his tracks. "You're making sure Masky stays safe here. If the police get to this island too, fly him off ASAP."

Matt glanced at Matsubusa before he saluted again. "Aye, aye!"

Aogiri was out of the bath and at the showerheads before Matsubusa could process what was going on. The leader of Team Aqua turned ice cold water on himself to kill what was left of his arousal as he let out a flurry of curse words, half of which the redhead had never even heard of before.

Matsubusa gawked as he watched the pirate, crouched behind the side of the tub. While the words weren't directed at him, the pirate's rage was still enough that even _he_ was taken aback by it.

Aogiri didn't bother drying off before he swiftly donned his wetsuit. "We'll have to take a rain check," he said stiffly.

Matsubusa opened his mouth to speak before he hesitated. After a moment, he slouched further down as realization dawned on him what they had been doing. "...R... right..."

Leviathan crooned sympathetically to her trainer, her face twisted in an obvious sulk.

Once dressed, Aogiri bent down by the bath and kissed the top of Matsubusa's head. "Thank you," he murmured before straightening up and striding boldly out the door.

Matsubusa watched as Aogiri leave, Leviathan following dutifully behind, before he furrowed his brow. After a moment, he glanced over to Dante. He immediately regretted it, as he came face to face with the deadpan stare of his Pokémon. The redhead bristled as he gripped the edge of the tub. "D-d-don't give me that!"

Matt nearly turned his head from his position facing out towards the hallway, but suppressed the urge. He saw more than he ever wanted when Aogiri got out of the pool. "Don't give you what?"

Matsubusa jerked and whirled to face Matt. "Nothing! N-nevermind! _Shut up_!"

"Believe me," Matt muttered, "there's nothing I'd like more than _not_ talking about you and Aogiri having sex, so you can stop being defensive about it and we can talk about you _not_ trying to escape again, okay?"

Matsubusa's face exploded with crimson before he burst out an incoherent protest, bringing his arms up protectively to cover himself lest Matt see too much skin. After a few strangled sounds, he was finally able to form words. "_Lies lies lies lies_!"

Matt groaned and slapped his hand over his face. "I said we're _not_ talking about you two having sex. Aren't you listening?"

"S-s-shut up shut up _shut up_!" Matsubusa shrieked as he clasped his hands over his ears, trying to block out the admin's voice.

Matt groaned, his entire body slouching. "What are you, five?"

Embarrassment quickly gave way to anger at Matsubusa whirled to face Matt, furiously. "You bastard!" He grabbed the bucket and filled it with water before using it to hurl the liquid at the admin.

With his back turned, Matt didn't see the water coming until it was too late and yowled as it collided. He whirled around, agitated and soaked, to glare at Matsubusa. "Read. My. Lips. _I. Don't. Want. To. Talk. About. Sex._ I _don't care_ if you and Aogiri are having it or not!"

"_So stop talking about it_!" Matsubusa shrieked as he held the bucket firmly, ready to douse the admin again. "Stop saying it! Stop implying it! Stop! Stop stop _stop_!"

Matt's expression turned deadpan after a moment of staring at Matsubusa before throwing his hands up into the air. "Ugh, fine. I give up. I'm just going to hold your clothes hostage and leave you with a bathrobe while Aogiri is gone so I don't have to deal with _another_ escape attempt."

Matsubusa jerked as he gaped at Matt, dropping the bucket in alarm. "Wait, what!?"

Matt folded his arms in front of him. "Oh, are you finally listening now?"

"I was listening _before_!" Matsubusa protested as he pointed at Matt. "I heard what you were saying about... about _that_!"

"You mean the part about _not_ wanting to talk about it?" Matt asked.

"And your idea of _not_ talking about it is to _talk about it more_!?" Matsubusa retorted, hotly.

"It is when I'm saying let's _not_ talk about it!" Matt snapped, throwing his arms up.

"And keep repeating it, and not actually _stop_ saying it!" Matsubusa threw up his own arms. "And say it over and over, thereby _constantly_ referencing it instead of _not talking about it_ like you said you would!"

Matt paused for a moment, slowly lowering his arms. "Uh..."

"How is it any different than saying to not think about the pink Donphan in the room!?" Matsubusa continued as he swept his arms. "Inevitably condemning both you and whoever you addressed to think about it!? It's _counter intuitive_ to what you're trying to accomplish!"

Matt stared at Matsubusa in silence for nearly half a minute, gobsmacked. "Oh." He shifted from one foot to the other. "Well... This is awkward."

"Yes!" Matsubusa agreed, firmly. "Yes, it is!"

Matt stepped back, gesturing over his shoulder towards the hallway. "I'm just going to... go. And make an idiot of myself somewhere else."

Matsubusa crouched back down in the water as he scowled at Matt. "...Yes. Good. Do that."

"Um, sorry," Matt muttered as he backed away a little quicker. "Enjoy the rest of your bath!" He held onto the door for a moment, caught between emotions. "And. Um..." The heat burning the back of his neck grew to be too much and he finally closed the door with haste. "Bye!"

Matsubusa watched as Matt fled, then rolled his eyes. He glanced over to Dante, his expression exasperated. "_Honestly_..."

Dante made a show of rolling his eyes before he shook his head.

Matsubusa paused as he glanced to the door, then back to his Dante. "...Could you, ah, guard outside while I... finish my bath?"

Dante's ears perked up and he nodded. With impressive dexterity, he placed his paws on the doorknob and opened the door, butting it closed once he was out in the hallway to give Matsubusa privacy and stand watch so that no one would interrupt his trainer again.

Matsubusa waited until his Pokémon left before he let out a heavy sigh, turning about so he can lean against the wall of the tub as he slouched. After a moment's hesitation, the redhead grimaced and reached up to press the palm of his hand against his forehead. "By Arceus, what is _wrong_ with me...?"

The redhead should have felt relieved to have some peace and quiet again, without Aogiri teasing him. Instead, he felt… _lonely_. The room was far too big, the pool far too wide, and both made him feel insignificant. The warmth that had been beside him moments ago was gone, and while the water temperature hadn't changed, it felt much colder.

"...What's _wrong_ with me?" Matsubusa repeated, closing his eyes. He knew full well what was wrong, of course. He had just been in the process of using a wash cloth to stroke _Aogiri's_ erection, the hardened manhood of the man who constantly showed up to thwart Team Magma's plans and the man who had _kidnapped_ him and was – or had been - holding him prisoner. He still wasn't certain entirely where they stood with the whole 'captive' thing, but there _was_ something he was absolutely certain of - he had _enjoyed_ touching it.

That revelation made the redhead shake his head in denial, trying to dispel the thought. "R-ridiculous, this is ridiculous!"

Matsubusa had never paid much attention to sex, he had no time for such things. It wasn't that he didn't have the opportunity. He had an entire stack of omiai requests on his desk back at the office, where women of all kinds had used marriage services to try and arrange something with him. He always just left them there to rot, until Homura felt bad for the snubbed women and wrote them polite rejection notices on Matsubusa's behalf. He had too much work to worry about such things. Between Kazan Industries and Team Magma, the idea of dating, marriage, or _sex_ felt more like a pointless hassle.

And yet ever since he had met the pirate, or rather _first acknowledged_ Aogiri, dreams of the leader of Team Aqua flooded his nights and filled him with feelings he still didn't entirely understand. Hot, troublesome dreams that left him with embarrassing situations he'd rather _die_ than explain, and his wardrobe shrinking ever further. And somehow, it culminated to the current situation - him sitting in a bathtub, thinking about Aogiri and missing him after touching him so intimately.

Matsubusa glanced down at the wash cloth in his hand. He hadn't actually set it down yet, not after touching Aogiri so inappropriately with it. It served a reminder of what he had done, and what _might_ have happened had they not been interrupted.

"I... what am I doing?" Matsubusa mumbled. Aogiri had always flirted with him during their fights, making quips about his body or that he 'loved' him. The redhead had always ignored it – after all, Aogiri was just teasing him – and knew better than to take it seriously. At least, he thought he had known better. And yet after first being captured, he had experienced nothing but the complete opposite of his expectations. Instead of an aggressive brute of a man, he had been treated to an Aogiri who was gentle with him. Though he teased, he never took it too far. The pirate had taken care of him, even at his weakest point, and had taken great pains in making sure Matsubusa knew he wasn't going to be taken advantage of.

And yet in spite of it all, the redhead found it difficult to accept at face value. A lifetime of experiences had told him to put little faith in actions, and even less so in words. Trusting Aogiri and his intentions was something he struggled to do. It all seemed like it would end like everything else in his life – a bad joke at his expense. But what he had felt had was not a joke, not a taunt to frazzle him and goad him in to making a mistake. It had been real, and eager for him.

It was the only solid thing that he couldn't dismiss, couldn't think of yet another ploy. As much self-control as Aogiri had, even he couldn't control _that_. Even more, the pirate clearly wasn't unhappy with the reaction. Aogiri had been aroused _by him_ and truly intended to seduce him. And not because of his appearance, as Aogiri had never even seen his face until recently, but because Matsubusa was 'Masky'. He was the man that Aogiri had been stalking, teasing, _flirting_ with for years now.

That knowledge filled Matsubusa with excitement, and _happiness_. Aogiri had been looking at _him_, thinking of _him_, and wanting _him_. There were no doubt many people out in the world, not just in Hoenn, who would kill for a chance to be with Aogiri. And yet Aogiri was thinking of _Matsubusa_. He was in the pirate's thoughts, in his desires.

It felt like a _triumph_.

Matsubusa held the cloth to his chest as he shivered slightly at the thought, becoming giddy. The idea of Aogiri wanting him made his heart begin to pound all over again, much like it had when he had been touching Aogiri. In fact, by holding the wash cloth, it was almost as if he were touching Aogiri still. It had been so close and intimate, against something so deeply personal and specifically _because_ of Matsubusa. The washcloth was the proof, the evidence of what had transpired between them.

The sense of power returned, which had given him the confidence to do what he had done in the first place, and the warmth returned in full force within his small body.

It was then that it dawned on Matsubusa that something _else_ was reacting. The redhead stopped and stared down, getting a clear view of his own _excitement_ peering up at him through the water. Crimson exploded across Matsubusa's face as he jerked, then instinctively glanced about the room to make certain no one could see him in such a state. His eyes settled on the door, which was still closed – no doubt with Dante ever vigilant lest anyone dare try to interrupt.

Matsubusa frowned, only mildly relieved to see that he was still alone, before he turned to stare at the problem that had just _arisen_. Admittedly, this was the first time he had noticed it. For all he knew, it had happened while he had been 'cleaning' Aogiri and it only now got his attention. The idea that Aogiri might've seen _him_ getting an erection from cleaning _Aogiri's_ was absolutely mortifying.

"What... what do I do now?" Matsubusa grumbled. He could wait for it to go away on its own, which it inevitably would with great discomfort and disappointment. It certainly wasn't going to be doing anything, not with only himself for company. He felt a pang of irritation, and he began to realize just why Aogiri had been so upset.

He was ready to go, and nowhere _to_ go.

"It's all because I tried to escape," Matsubusa thought. It _had _to be the reason. For the police to get involved, the incident at the beach must have finally spurred the authorities in to action – and in turn, completely ruin everything.

It was some sort of twisted karma. Escape had been the rather obvious thing to do, and yet it was now coming back to bite him in a very sensitive area. The idea of _not_ escaping was obviously unthinkable, but he never would have imagined that such a sensible action would have such awful consequences. It made him feel frustrated, at himself, Aogiri, and at the world in general.

"Stupid, stupid, _stupid_-!" Matsubusa snarled as he reared his hand back, about to toss the wash cloth across the room. It was then that he stopped, his eyes darting to the cloth. He lowered it down so that he could look at it directly, his eyes widening.

A thought occurred to Matsubusa – a dirty, _naughty_ little thought. And the more he _thought_ about it, the greater the _temptation_ grew. It seemed so unthinkable, so ridiculous, and yet he couldn't get it out of his mind. The more he stared at the wash cloth that had been so intimate with Aogiri, the more he couldn't get the thought out of his mind.

He had to do it.

Matsubusa gave the door another glance as he bit his lower lip. Seeing the door firmly shut, his eyes then moved back to the wash cloth and then down at his own _issue_. After several long moments, the redhead lowered the wash cloth, slipping it under the water before wrapping it around his own hardness, just like he had Aogiri's.

#

Matsubusa leaned back against the wall with a sigh, tossing the washcloth behind him so that it hit the floor with a wet splat. He absolutely couldn't use it to clean himself, not now. The leader of Team Magma waited several moments until his breathing evened out before he sighed. He had spent long enough in the bath, even if he felt like staying there much longer to finish recovering. However, he was already beginning to wrinkle, so he was left with no choice.

The redhead swiftly finished cleaning himself, without Aogiri to distract him with his teasing touches. Eliminating all evidence of what had happened, Matsubusa finally left the tub and dried himself before dressing in the clean clothes he had brought with them. The leader of Team Magma glanced at where Aogiri's own clothes had been, before the pirate had been forced to leave in a rush.

Matsubusa quickly shook away the sense of disappointment before he headed towards the door. Aogiri would be back soon enough, and with him the rest of the Aqua admins as well as Matsubusa's own. He'd need to mentally prepare himself for that meeting, as he could only imagine what Homura would have to say.

He was _not _looking forward to _that _conversation.

Matsubusa reached for the door and opened it. He was immediately greeted by the sight of two Pokémon _– _Dante and Matt's Blastoise, Kappa. Matsubusa froze, his expression going blank.

The Blastoise stared down at Matsubusa before he slowly arched a scaled eyebrow. Dante similarly had an expression of disbelief, with _both_ of his eyebrows arched high.

Matsubusa gaped at the Pokémon, the expressions alone eliminating any doubt in his mind what had happened. _They had heard everything_. The redhead's face turned solid ruby as it twisted in horror. "I-I... you... I didn't! It's not like that! _Nothing happened_!"

Kappa lowered his eyebrow, his expression deadpanning. It was an expression that Dante had already settled on, his eyes boring holes in to Matsubusa's very soul.

Matsubusa quivered, the Pokémon's obvious disbelief making matters worse. "I-I... you heard nothing, you got that?! You heard _nothing_!"

The Blastoise made a great show of rolling his eyes. Dante was still firmly set in staring at him, judgment _palpable_ on his muzzled face.

Matsubusa stomped his foot as he clenched his fists. "I _mean_ it! _Nothing_! You got that!? _Absolutely nothing_!"

The redhead knew his protests were useless. They didn't believe him, and he'd never be able to convince them that his feeble lies were to be trusted more than their own ears. In the end, all he could do was bluster helplessly and feel thankful that Pokémon couldn't talk, or he'd never hear the end of it.


	13. Chapter 13

It wasn't supposed to be an eventful morning. The main attraction was to come later, after rendezvousing with Homura and Tabitha at the abandoned Team Aqua base. Once together, they'd all then head to the next location, one way or another. While Kagari had made plans for taking the ship in case the helicopter wasn't functioning, ideally the Magma admins preferred flying - for Matsubusa's sake.

It was supposed to be a simple pick up before heading to the much anticipated reunion with the Magma admins' dear leader. And instead, it had turned in to a complete nightmare.

Kagari clenched her fists, quivering in anger as she stood on the deck of the ship, which had somehow transformed from their transportation in to the only barrier between the base and the police vessels that had followed them. The female admin had never thought it would happen, and she admitted that was entirely her mistake. And now the results of that mistake were glaring down at her just as much as she glared at it, in the form of five fully-armed police boats that had encircled the small island the base was on. "That... _idiot_! Doesn't she realize that if this had been an actual hostage situation with _serious_ threats, Matsubusa would've been killed for this stunt!? Does she even _care_!?"

Courtney, who had roused during the later part of their trip, peered through a pair of binoculars with her mouth set in a hard line. "She looks like someone lit a fire up her ass and she's trying to put it out before she explodes."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Team Aqua base, Shelly glared at the monitors in the security room, her entire body tense as she switched from camera to camera. "They haven't found the base itself yet, but judging by the way they're circling, they spotted your friends approaching close enough that they're going to search the island."

"I've already contacted the others, so they should be on their way," Izumi said as she typed away at the computer in front of her, her fingers moving quickly across the keyboard. "The boats won't make it in time, but the Pokémon'll get them here fast. Smaug alone'd cover the distance in minutes."

Tabitha wrung his hands as he took in the number of police boats, his mind whirling to come up with a plan. "If we run now we could make it to the helicopter... but if they have any flying Pokémon, we might not be able to outrun them."

An audible _click_ came from behind the three admins, prompting them to turn just in time to see Homura drawing his gun. Matsubusa's personal assistant held the weapon up, pointing the tip at the ceiling as he looked at the three with a fierce expression. "...I'll take care of it."

Shelly moved quickly to put her hand over his on the gun, her thumb flicking the safety back on as her gaze bore into his eyes. "Denied. We're not killing cops."

Homura met Shelly's gaze with a steel one of his own. "'We'?"

"Oui," Shelly said as she leaned in closer. "Putting aside the fact that it's _murder_, killing a police officer would bring down the whole force on us. Right now, the cops think Aqua is a joke, but once one of their own dies, then they'll come down on us even harder than Magma, which means a lot of poaching pirate assholes will get to use the sea as their hunting grounds without us to kick their asses."

Homura paused as he considered that, then made a frustrated noise deep in his throat. "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Shelly directed the gun back into Homura's holster without ever breaking eye-contact as a wicked smile appeared on her face. "We have a Pokémon battle with the cops, of course."

Homura arched an eyebrow. "A... Pokémon battle?"

"Obviously not you," Izumi said as she got up and stretched, then grinned at Tabitha. "After all, you'd look _rather suspicious_ fighting alongside us."

"With or without your masks," Shelly said as she side-eyed Izumi. "Not that a tournament champion needs help, right, Izumi?"

Izumi smirked as she crossed her arms. "I may not be as good as Aogiri, but I've won my fair share of tournaments while we traveled around the world."

Tabitha looked Izumi over appreciatively. "You're a woman of many talents, aren't you."

Izumi giggled as she reached up to flick her bangs back. "About time you noticed, sweetheart."

Tabitha's cheeks pinked as the nickname sent an embarrassed thrill through him, leaving him unable to do more than stammer a retort before he coughed into his hand.

Homura rolled his eyes before he turned to Shelly. "Fine. Do it your way."

Shelly lightly poked Homura's nose. "Just keep an eye on us from here while we stall until reinforcements arrive."

* * *

Junsar glared at the overgrown brush on the island through her high-powered binoculars, scouring for any hint of civilization. Her gut told her this was the place, and the hints of radio transition to the boat they followed came from this area. It was the only explanation for why the ship carrying the Kazan Industries employees would dock in such a remote place.

"Chief, what should we do?" one of the officers asked. "I don't see an entrance anywhere."

"Keep looking!" Junsar barked. "I want every inch of that island combed and watched from all sides! No one goes in or out until we clear it!"

"Got it, chief!" the police officer saluted, sharply. He then paused. "What about the people from Kazan Industries? Do we have them move?"

"Ignore them unless they interfere," Junsar grumbled as she peered around for any sign of the criminals.

Without warning, the world went nearly sideways as the ship shuddered and rocked harshly, teetering dangerously towards tipping over as a large Gyarados collided with the underside of the hull. Junsar and the rest of her officers on board cried out and slid across the deck as they suddenly found themselves scrambling for something to hold onto before they fell into the drink. Ryuko wasn't about to let them gather their bearings, however, and sent a blast of water across the deck that sent more than one officer flying into the briny blue.

Junsar barely weathered the attack by stubbornly clinging to the railing at the front of the ship, digging her heels into the wedge shape. "We're under attack!" she shouted after sputtering out water.

As officers on the assaulted boat clung for dear life, their comrades were quick to scramble to their defense. A flurry of light erupted as numerous Pokémon were summoned from their Pokéballs - a plethora of water Pokémon. Staryus, Starmies, Dewgongs, and more all appeared and prepared to attack the Gyarados.

On the nearest boat, a Wartortle prepared to take aim at Ryuko, gathering his breath. However, he never got a chance to ever let out the stream of water as he was suddenly attacked from above. Without warning, Goliath swooped down and landed on the Wartortle, crushing him underfoot so that he disappeared in to his Pokéball with a flash. The Garchomp then crouched and whipped about to face the gawking officers, letting out a loud _roar_ as he fanned his wings.

Ryuko and Goliath had the advantage of the element of surprise on their side, but the number of Pokémon sent out by the police outnumbered them over a dozen to one. To make things more difficult, the police also got involved with stun guns and special devices made to capture Pokémon even if they already had a trainer. Soon, it was all the Team Aqua Pokémon could do to evade capture and defeat.

The admins of Team Magma watched helplessly. Despite having Pokémon of their own, none of them could risk incriminating themselves - or Matsubusa. Despite the unfairness of the fight, and the fact that Kagari and Courtney had unintentionally brought the situation to Aqua's door, none of them could get involved. They could only watch as the police attacked Izumi and Shelly's Pokémon, with Goliath swooping through the air and striking at any he could while Ryuko dived under the water before attacking them from beneath. The situation truly looked dire as minutes ticked on.

But then, minutes was all Team Aqua needed.

"Damn it, we don't have _time_ for this!" Homura growled as he clenched his fists, finally having enough. Watching the fight from the communications room was maddening enough, but the situation was truly wearing on his already frayed nerves. Each minute the police took up was a minute he could've spent reuniting with Matsubusa - and they had wasted far more of his time than he ever would have willingly allowed. The personal assistant grabbed his Pokéball to summon his Talonflame. "Blaze-"

At that moment, an ear-piercing shriek echoed through the air, as if the sound itself was shattering the sky. It was reminiscent of a jet flying low, and prompted all the humans to pause and look upwards just in time to see a light appear - the light of a Pokémon being released. It gave Kagari, Courtney, and the police a good view of Leviathan as she appeared in the air, seconds before she dropped in to the water with a heavy _splash_.

Aogiri leapt from Smaug's back and onto the deck of Kagari and Courtney's ship before the Salamence could land. His smile was wide, bordering on manic, though his eyes were hard. "Avast! You officers are trespassing in Team Aqua waters, and I'm in a _foul_ mood. I'll give you the choice of leaving now with your pride intact, or my mighty beast of the sea will show you why she bears the name _Leviathan_!"

Junsar could barely hear Aogiri's boisterous voice over the distance between their boats, but managed a reply all the same with a miniature bullhorn. "Aogiri Yoshizumi! Surrender yourself in the name of the law! We have you surrounded!"

Aogiri cocked his head slightly. "Oh ho, using my _full_ name now, are we? Looks like you're serious this time."

Though Junsar couldn't hear Aogiri's reply, that didn't deter her from continuing. "We know about your connections with Team Rocket! Resisting will only incriminate you further!"

The smile melted from Aogiri's face into a blank expression as he stared at Junsar. After a long stretch of silence he let out a bark of laughter. "You need to lay off smoking the drugs you confiscate, lady! If you think Team Aqua would ever ally ourselves with those _butchers_, then you have no idea who we are and what we're about at all!"

That Junsar _did_ hear, and she scowled. "This is your last warning! Surrender now!"

What little mirth Aogiri felt for the absurdity of the situation drained away and annoyance crept back in its place. It was obvious the police weren't interested in listening, so there was no more need for him to speak.

Leviathan slapped her tail down hard with a loud _snap_, the monstrous beast propelling herself deep underwater. After several moments, she returned to the surface, close to one of the outer boats. She began to circle it with slow and lazy movements, displaying no fear as the officers turned to pay their attention to the sudden behemoth in their waters. The massive Feraligatr continued to appear unperturbed even as the officers directed their Pokémon towards her, Leviathan moving leisurely about the boat in a circle.

Aogiri kept his eyes on Junsar, despite the distance between them, and raised his hand before he flashed one finger in the air.

Leviathan had been waiting for the signal. She twisted about with a jerk of her tail. With a low rumble that rippled through the water, the Feraligatr took off like a shot, tearing through the ocean with incredible speed. She swam right past the Pokémon as they reached her, the wake of her passing scattering them in all directions. She wasn't interested in them, she had a different target.

Instead, she charged straight at the police boat. None of the crew understood what was happening until it was too late. With a final burst of speed, the Feraligatr tore through the hull of the boat. Metal twisted and tore like tissue paper, offering no resistance as Leviathan rammed it, ripping straight through upon impact as she went in one side and then out the other. The protection that had been intended to ward off wild Pokémon was completely useless against Aogiri's prized Pokémon.

The boat gave a massive quiver as the water rushed in to the gaping hole. As the occupants of the other boats stared in horror, as the waves slowly consumed the damaged vessel.

As the boat began to sink, panic consumed those onboard. The crew scrambled for the lifeboats as the ship lurched and rocked while water flooded its innards. Those that couldn't make it to the lifeboats in time had no choice but leap in to the cold ocean. Within moments, the punctured vessel sank beneath the waves as police officers floundered about in the water.

Leviathan increased her distance from the boat and the crew before she began circling again, moving lazily about the officers in the water.

"...It's fortunate that you didn't bring Matsubusa with you," Kagari said, her voice deceptively light.

Courtney side-eyed Aogiri. "You better not do anything like this with Matsubusa around."

Aogiri was silent, but he nodded ever so slightly, his eyes never leaving the scene as he signaled Smaug to dive from above and use a sonic boom to knock officers and Pokémon over on the police boats to prevent them from rallying against Leviathan's attacks.

The scene played out like a horror film. Leviathan cruised through the water like a shark, swimming about lazily without any concern for her attackers before suddenly being thrown in to action by a mere gesture from Aogiri. The officers tried valiantly to stop the attacking Feraligatr with their own Pokémon, but none were able to even get close. Smaug and Goliath attacked any Pokémon that couldn't make it to the water in time, and Ryuko was joined by Imugi the Dragonair as they pursued the ones that had disappeared below the surface of the water.

In the end, no one could stop the leviathan from devastating the fleet, slamming through the boats and sinking them to the bottom of the ocean one by one. Further reinforcements for Team Aqua weren't even necessary, as the Pokémon made short work of their opponents. The five police vessels had been reduced to a single ship - Junsar's waterlogged vessel, floating among the debris and shipwrecked officers.

Leviathan drifted about, swimming in slow circles around the remaining ship.

"Captain, we need to recover our men and retreat!" one of the officers said, his voice urgent.

Junsar's mouth was twisted in a dangerous snarl. "Where's that damn back up I called for?"

"We can't reach anyone!" another officer shouted. "There's some kind of interference across all channels!"

Junsar snarled out a vicious curse as she surveyed the carnage and the Pokémon in the water as her officers scrambled to help recover their fellows from the drink. It galled her to come all this way with such a show of force, only to wind up losing most of the boats as well as the criminals she was after, but she hadn't lasted so long in her line of work without knowing when it was time to retreat to lick her wounds.

"Fine," Junsar snarled, the word coming out thin and tight. "We'll withdraw for now." She went on to bark orders at her officers to finish with the retrieval of the rest of their numbers while keeping a strong defense against the Team Aqua Pokémon.

And strong defense ultimately translated to fleeing and scrambling about in confusion, attempting to avoid what was tantamount to a bloodless _massacre_ as the officers ran out of Pokémon to send to their inescapable defeat. Soon, not a single Pokémon was left, leaving the police entirely on their own.

When the last Pokémon disappeared, so too did Goliath, Smaug, Ryuko, and Imugi. They withdrew, though they weren't recalled in to their balls. Instead, they simply kept back a respectable distance and watched as Leviathan continued her lazy patrol around the final boat.

The officers weren't sure what to make of the sudden ceasefire, but were quick to take advantage. Dropping lifeboats, the crew of the surviving ship managed to round up their comrades from out of the water. Unmolested by Team Aqua, the police recovered every last victim and retreated back to their boat - now crowded thanks to the combined crews of the other ships.

Junsar glared murder into Aogiri, able to see his smirk through her binoculars even as the boat turned once all the police officers had been recovered. She gnashed her teeth hard enough to make them ache as she saw not a victory for Team Aqua, but for Team Rocket.

_Again_.

Aogiri watched the police retreat until they were barely more than a dot on the horizon, giving Goliath and Ryuko time to bring Shelly and Izumi to the boat. He nodded to his admins before turning towards the ladies of Team Magma. He barely had a moment to realize Courtney stood directly behind him before she jabbed her cattle prod into his crotch and sent him crashing to the deck in painful spasms.

Courtney narrowed her eyes at Aogiri. "That's for making me regret encouraging you."

Shelly grimaced at the sight and was quick to head over to make sure her captain didn't get electrocuted to death. "You do know we haven't hurt Matsubusa, right? I thought Homura relayed to you how guilty Aogiri was for all the crap he put Masky through and was making it up to him."

Courtney turned to Shelly, her expression deadpan. "That's why he gets to keep his balls."

Kagari arched an eyebrow. "She's being rather merciful."

Shelly side-eyed Courtney before slowly shaking her head. "Riiight..."

With the police gone, it was finally safe for Tabitha and Homura to leave the base and venture out in to the open. Boarding the ship, the two wasted no time in joining their female comrades on the deck - just in time to see Leviathan scale the side of the ship to land beside her trainer, crooning sympathetically down at his crumbled form.

Homura paused as he eyed Aogiri, then turned to shoot Courtney a flat look. "You stole my shot."

"I called dibs on roasting his nuts months ago," Courtney said. "Just ask Matsubusa."

Homura arched an eyebrow as he regarded Courtney. He then turned to Aogiri, watching as the man painfully sat up with a grimace on his face. "...I _trust_ you've kept Matsubusa safe, _Mr. Yoshizumi._"

Aogiri gave Homura a lopsided grin tinged with pain. He tried to sound like his usual cocky self even as his voice wheezed and cracked. "Yup. Masky and me have been having a grand time... up until I had to come out here and bail you guys out."

Homura arched an eyebrow as he regarded Aogiri, his expression forcibly neutral. "And I trust he'll still be fine when you take us to him."

"Better than when you called us earlier, that's for sure," Aogiri said. "No storms or sudden phone hang ups to worry him."

Homura crossed his arms. While he wasn't particularly satisfied with the response, it was enough to mollify him for the moment. "Good. I think you've put him through enough."

"Agreed," Aogiri said, cheerful despite his pain. "Now let's get back before Masky does something reckless like drink himself stupid and decide riding a speedboat to get in on the action is a brilliant idea."

Homura blinked and turned to look at Shelly, quizzically.

Shelly looped her arm around Homura's shoulders and leaned into him. "Allow me to show you a new video that's trending on the internet."

* * *

The mess hall was eerily empty, with most of Team Aqua's crew that hadn't left to rendezvous with the rescue party keeping their distance. It left Matsubusa, Matt, and their Pokémon as the only occupants of the colossal room, making the absence more than noticeable.

Matsubusa had no problem with it, however. He rather liked the silence, the opportunity to be alone so that he could recover his nerves. Sitting at the head table and sipping tea slowly, the leader of Team Magma was perfectly content to remain as he was for as long as he had the opportunity.

Matt, on the other hand, found the silence to be maddening, especially after the awkward incident between them earlier. He tried to distract himself by cooking lunch, but now that they were all seated, it left him faltering. "So... uh... how about that weather?"

Matsubusa paused and looked over the edge of his cup at Matt. "...Terrible."

Matt grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, yeah, the storms..."

Matsubusa took a deep sip of his tea before lowering his cup. "...I suppose it could have been worse."

"Yeah, it could've been a typhoon," Matt said with a small shrug.

Matsubusa felt a chill run up his spine, though he resisted the urge to shiver. "...I-I assume that even in _that_ scenario, this base would have held firm."

Matt immediately realized his mistake. "Oh yeah, sure, of course! It's stood strong through at least three already, and who knows how many there were for the people who originally built this place."

Matsubusa hesitated before he sipped at his tea, looking away so that Matt couldn't see the concern on his face. "Of... of course."

"Heck, this place has a surprising amount of bomb shelters in it," Matt said. "It was originally made during the last war when the country was freaking out about nukes."

Matsubusa nodded as he sipped his tea, not trusting himself to speak. Under the table, the redhead reached over to touch his Houndoom, seeking the reassuring warmth Dante provided.

Dante nuzzled against Matsubusa's hand with a comforting rumble even as his eyes glared daggers into Matt.

"Yo, Masky, Matt!" Aogiri shouted, his voice echoing faintly through the halls of the base. "Where you at?"

Matsubusa looked up sharply, nearly dropping his tea. "Eh? Is that...?"

"Oh thank Arceus," Matt muttered under his breath before shouting. "We're in the mess hall, boss!"

Matsubusa hesitated before he stood up on his feet, feeling a mixture of emotions that he couldn't quite explain. Hearing Aogiri's voice filled him with a sense of comfort and relief, and yet there was no logical reason for it. "Did you get-"

Matsubusa barely had a chance to rise from his chair before he was suddenly tackled to the ground by Courtney in a surprisingly enthusiastic hug.

The redhead howled in alarm as he fell backwards, landing roughly on his back. He grimaced before he glanced up, finding himself face to face with the culprit. "Courtney-?"

Courtney buried her face in Matsubusa's chest, which muffled her voice when she spoke. "I'm so sorry I encouraged you to give an asshole like Aogiri a chance."

Aogiri snickered as he heard Courtney just as he came in to see her on top of Matsubusa. "I feel the love here. It's so touching."

Matsubusa paused before he reached up to place his hand on top of Courtney's head, his expression softening. He was at a loss for what to say, so he simply remained where he was. He only glanced away when he heard footsteps and glanced up to see Homura staring down at him, flanked by Kagari and Tabitha. The redhead felt a rush of embarrassment and he quickly looked back down at Courtney. "I-I... I'm fine."

Courtney looked up into Matsubusa's eyes, her gaze scrutinizing. "He didn't force himself on you?"

Matsubusa's eyes widened as crimson flooded his face. "What!? N-no!" At the critical stares he got, the redhead reached up to point at his Houndoom. "D-Dante would've bit it off!"

Dante nodded sharply with a bark that licked his teeth with vibrant red flames.

Aogiri knelt down beside Matsubusa and gently took hold of the other man's hand before kissing the back of it. "I might be an asshole kidnapping pirate, but I'm also a gentleman."

Matsubusa paused at that before his blush took an even deeper shade of red. He scowled up at Aogiri, though he didn't jerk back his hand. "Y-you shameless-!"

Courtney didn't even look at Aogiri as she shoved his face back. "You can flirt after we hear _everything_ that happened from Matsubusa."

Matsubusa jerked before he sat up, sharply. "W-w-w-we're not flirting!"

Courtney cocked an eyebrow at Matsubusa. "I meant just Aogiri."

Homura crossed his arms as he arched an eyebrow, regarding the redhead's equally crimson face.

Tabitha smiled a little. "Well, if Matsubusa is in _this_ good of a mood, then it must not have been as bad as we feared."

Matsubusa paused as he realized what he had done and swiftly reached up to grab Courtney's shoulders, pushing her back. "I-I didn't-! _Nothing happened_!"

"It better not have," Homura said as he watched Matsubusa's face closely. It was fairly obvious something _had_ happened, but he was withholding comment until he could figure out what.

Matsubusa trembled as his face burned, and he glared at his personal assistant. "Y-you come all this way just to judge me!?"

"Nothing happened, so what's to judge?" Homura asked, his voice deceptively light.

Matsubusa paused at that, then grimaced. "A-absolutely nothing, that's what."

"We came all this way because we were going crazy worrying about you," Courtney said.

Matsubusa blinked before he returned his attention back to Courtney, and his expression softened again. "...I... didn't intend..."

"Of course not, honey," Kagari said, soothingly. "No one _intends_ to be kidnapped."

Courtney jabbed her finger at Aogiri's nose. "That's _this_ asshole's fault."

Aogiri jerked back and rubbed his nose. "Guilty as charged."

"...Despite what they're saying, they don't seem all that angry," Izumi murmured as she watched the scene from the doorway, her hands on her hips.

Shelly leaned against the wall, arms folded in front of her with one leg cocked. "It looks like about as serious as we get with our drinking games."

Matt inched his way over to the ladies and out of the way of the reunion. "Only with less puking. "

"That's good, right?" Ushio asked as he scratched the back of his head.

"No one's getting shot, so I'd say so," Shelly said with a wry grin.

It took a while for Matsubusa to recount the story of what happened, particularly the parts where he was drunk, sick, or both. Aogiri helpfully filled in the gaps with another Team Aqua admin adding in a detail or two, much to Matsubusa's chagrin. It was only fortunate for him that the rest of Aogiri's crew had surprisingly kept a large distance between themselves and the mess hall, as he had more than enough of Team Aqua's grunts without any of them adding in their two cents.

Homura leaned back in his chair, his expression fierce. He felt a whirlwind of emotions, though primarily _anger_ at what Matsubusa had gone through. "I should _never_ have let you go to Kanto by yourself."

"To be fair, we would've gone after Masky in Hoenn too," Aogiri said slyly as he slid his gaze towards Matsubusa.

Homura turned to give Aogiri a withering glare.

Matsubusa blushed deeply as he avoided looking at Aogiri. "I-It was... just a bizarre situation, that's all."

Aogiri reached out to stroke Matsubusa's hand. "You say that like we'd settle for being normal."

Matsubusa glanced down at Aogiri's hand, his blush still firmly present on his face. "...I suppose that'd be asking for too much."

"You're damn right," Aogiri murmured as he leaned in to steal a kiss from Matsubusa's lips.

Matsubusa jumped, startled. He quickly reached up to push Aogiri back, his expression flustered. "B-bastard! N-not in _front_ of-!"

"But it's fine in private?" Courtney asked, her neutral tone and expression making it hard to tell if she approved or not.

Matsubusa whipped about to stare at Courtney, his eyes wide. "E-eh? I... ah..."

Aogiri squeezed Matsubusa's hand, grinning. "Don't worry, I'm making keeping myself in check. Masky sets the speed in this relationship."

Matsubusa glanced at Aogiri out of the corner of his eyes, then glanced to see Homura staring hard at him. He quivered, then quickly looked away, staring at the floor. "I-it could hardly be called a... a... I don't... you're reading in to this too far!"

Shelly prodded Homura's cheek as she leaned in closer to him. "Don't give him _too_ hard a time now. Aogiri has been bending over backward trying to make up for being an ass to Matsubusa, so he could talk him into pretty much anything at this point."

"It's true," Aogiri said with a grin.

Homura glanced at Shelly. "Your _captain_ isn't the one I'm worried about being _talked in to_ anything."

A loud outburst from the Pokémon caused all the assembled humans to stop, turning to where their assorted Pokémon had gathered. Leviathan was the source of the outburst, making excited noises to Kappa, who simply nodded his head. Typhoon had a weird look on his face, as if he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing, while Ryuko and Goliath turned to stare at each other. Of the Magma Pokémon, Burst had what appeared to be a blush on her face while Blaze gawked. Kagari's Ninetails, Miko, rolled her eyes, while Dante sported an annoyed look as he glowered at the Blastoise. The only one who didn't appear even mildly affected was Courtney's Chandelure, Willow, as she drifted overhead with a blank expression.

Aogiri blinked, startled, before cocking his head slightly. "Sounds like the Pokémon are having fun."

Matsubusa eyed the Pokémon, in particular Kappa and Dante. His suspicions ran rampant as he tensed, his jaw clenching. "...Yes, that's all it is."

Leviathan's tail wagged as she grinned, positively radiating happiness. She turned to Aogiri, her tail moving even faster as she snapped her jaws together.

Aogiri raised his eyebrows. "You seem happy. What's up?"

The Feraligatr turned to smile at Matsubusa, wiggling her brow.

Matsubusa bristled before he stood up sharply, slamming his hands on the table. "A-anyway, you should be talking to _me_, not your Pokémon! It's _rude_ to ignore your guests!"

Aogiri started at the outburst, but was quick to recover, his smile turning sly as he took both of Matsubusa's hands in his. "You're absolutely right, Masky. I should be focusing entirely on _you_ and what I can do to make you feel _amazing_."

Matsubusa blushed darkly. While mortifying, it was better that the attention be taken away from Leviathan and on to him - on the off chance that Kappa _did_ do what the redhead _suspected_ he did. "...T-that's right. You should absolutely be talking to me, and not... anything else!"

Aogiri leaned in closer to Matsubusa, his eyes dancing with mischief. "Oh, I can do a _lot_ more than just talk to you if you really want _all_ of my attention."

Matsubusa's eyebrows shot straight up as he leaned back slightly. "E-eh? Um..."

Suddenly, Leviathan spooned Matsubusa from behind, interrupting Aogiri. The Feraligatr purred deep in her throat as she flopped her chin down on top of the man's head, her grin impossibly wide.

Matsubusa yelped as he tensed, his eyes going wide. "W-w-w-what-!?"

Aogiri straightened up and snickered at Leviathan's antics. "Can't wait, huh? Whatever it is must be _huge_."

Leviathan wiggled her brow at Aogiri as she rumbled.

Matsubusa yelped before he reached up, trying to push Leviathan's head off his own as he blustered. "E-enough! I didn't... I didn't give you permission to come near me!"

Leviathan's head didn't move in the slightest, the redhead's efforts in vain. Instead, she reached down to point at Matsubusa meaningfully before she opened her jaws repeatedly, pantomiming speech.

"Oooh, you've got some juicy info about Masky?" Aogiri asked in a light and merry tone. "Ooh, girlfriend, dish!"

"No!" Matsubusa snapped as he reached up to grab Leviathan's snout, trying to hold it shut.

"...What is this nonsense?" Homura asked, arching an eyebrow. "Enough screwing around."

"No screwing going on around here," Aogiri said with a grin. "Right, Masky?"

"Shut up shut up _shut up_!" Matsubusa shrieked, his face a deep shade of crimson as he held Leviathan's jaw shut. "I forbid it!"

Leviathan didn't fight against Matsubusa's grip. While she could certainly open her mouth if she wanted, she instead simply wiggled her brow before she pointed at Matsubusa, then moved her clawed hand in a pantomime of talking, then pointed at Aogiri.

"Oooh, Masky was talking about me while I was away?" Aogiri teased as he looked at Matsubusa's flustered face.

"Lies! She's lying!" Matsubusa said, glaring at Aogiri. "It's all lies!"

Shelly leaned against Homura and mock-whispered in his ear. "He does realize that by denying it so much he might as well be shouting it's the truth, right?"

Homura glanced at Shelly, his expression long-suffering. "Yes, but he can't stop himself."

"It's kind of his thing," Tabitha said with a shrug.

"Though, I must admit I don't see what the issue is," Kagari said as she arched an eyebrow.

"Matsubusa always talks about Aogiri," Courtney said.

"I do _not_! Shut up!" Matsubusa snapped, growing increasingly flustered as he tugged on Leviathan's snout, squirming. "_Stop talking about this_!"

Aogiri stroked Matsubusa's chin softly. "Don't worry, beautiful. There's nothing you could say about me that could turn me off you."

Leviathan pushed down on Matsubusa's head so that the man was forced to duck down with a yelp, so that she could look at Aogiri eye-to-eye. She smirked as she lifted her arm and began to pantomime. The gesture was immediately recognizable, a smooth jerking motion with her hand cupped in a circle.

Aogiri stared in disbelief at the gesture for a long moment before he began beaming from ear to ear. "You don't say."

Matt choked on his soda. "That isn't what I think it is, is it?"

Homura's eyes widened as he stared at Leviathan, more specifically at her gesture. He was struck completely mute, unable to speak.

Izumi's face turned a light shade of red as she slapped her forehead. "Oh _really_..."

"What? What's she saying!? _What_-?" Matsubusa demanded, his panic growing as he took in the reactions around him. He looked up sharply just in time to see the gesture and his jaw dropped. He let out a cry, his words strangled together to form an incoherent scream that was implied to be a protest, as he whirled around and shoved harshly at the Feraligatr's chest.

"O-oh _my_," Kagari said as she covered her mouth, trying to stifle her giggle.

"W-wait, he... you sayin' he jerked one off!?" Ushio demanded, turning to Kappa for confirmation. His jaw dropped as the Blastoise nodded.

Matsubusa let out another shriek as he shook his head, his high-pitched voice trying to utter a denial that was lost in his mortification.

"Whelp, that was something I could've gone without hearing," Shelly said with a rueful chuckle. "At least we know now that Masky is as hot for Aogiri as he is for him."

Tabitha's face turned rather pink as he looked away and coughed into his hand.

"It's not a big deal," Courtney said. "Everybody masturbates."

Aogiri leaned in close to Matsubusa, thrilled beyond words. "So... you went and had fun without me while I had to deal with blue balls then fried balls? Now I _really_ feel like I missed out."

Matsubusa felt a shiver run up his spine as he whipped about to gape at Aogiri, like a deer in headlights. He stayed that way for several moments before he let out another scream of protest, striking at Aogiri's chest swiftly before he whirled on his heels and darted for the doorway as quickly as he could.

Aogiri was knocked off balance, but only for a moment. Within seconds, he was on his feet and chasing after Matsubusa, laughing all the way. "Yo, Masky, wait up!"

Matsubusa did no such thing, instead racing down the hallway as quickly as his feet could carry him. With surprising speed from _sheer embarrassment_, he made it past the grunts who loitered in the area before they could even realize what was happening. Though, none tried particularly hard to pursue, instead moving out of the way. Soon enough, he found his way back to Aogiri's room and whipped about to try and slam the door shut.

Unfortunately for him, Aogiri was in peak physical condition and was able to catch the door just before it could close all the way. "You seem upset. Want to talk about it?"

Matsubusa braced himself against the door, trying to push it closed. The fact that it felt like he was shoving against a rock didn't deter him in the slightest. "Bastard bastard bastard bastard bastard bastard _bastard_!"

Aogiri waited until Matsubusa paused for breath before he spoke again, trying his best to minimize the mirth in his voice. "Matsubusa, I'm not going to make fun of you. Hell, I told you all about how I wanked off to thoughts of you all the time. Just last night I had to dash off in the middle of our make out session, remember?"

Matsubusa trembled as he snapped his eyes shut, pressing up against the door as he quivered. "_That's different_!"

"How about this?" Aogiri asked lightly. "How about you let me in and explain it to me why it's different? Because from where I'm standing, I'm seeing this as a great thing. I'm _thrilled_ that you think I'm sexy!"

Matsubusa kept his eyes closed as he moved to rest his forehead against the door. He was completely overcome by embarrassment and shame, and it was hard to decide what to listen to - his emotions or Aogiri. "I-I...!"

Aogiri slipped a hand into the crack between the door and the frame so that he could place his hand on Matsubusa's shoulder, squeezing gently. "I promise, I won't take this as an excuse to toss you onto the bed and demand we have sex right this second."

Matsubusa opened his eyes to turn and look at Aogiri's hand. After a moment, he tentatively reached over to rest his hand overtop it, relaxing his stance against the door. It admittedly wouldn't have done much good against Aogiri as the pirate kept the door from being fully closed with little effort, but the symbolism was still there.

Aogiri stroked Matsubusa's palm with his thumb as he held the Team Magma leader's hand in his gently. "I told you before, remember? The idea is for _both of us_ to have fun."

Matsubusa trembled slightly, reaching up his free hand to grip at the collar of his changshan. "...I know."

"Mind if I come in?" Aogiri asked softly. "I promise I won't do anything you're not comfortable doing right now."

Matsubusa was silent for a moment before he grunted. "...F-fine. If it's that important to you."

Aogiri smiled and pushed the door open lightly, waiting for Matsubusa to let him enter the room before slipping inside and closing the door behind him.

Matsubusa stood awkwardly in front of Aogiri, fidgeting with the collar of his changshan as he stared down at the floor. It was much safer than the pirate's face.

Aogiri made a show of locking the door. "There. Now we won't get interrupted by anyone. It's just you and me and a nice soft bed to cuddle on."

Matsubusa slowly lifted his eyes to look at Aogiri, his face still red. He jerked on his collar anxiously, his heart beginning to thunder in his chest.

Aogiri's gaze softened at the vulnerable expression Matsubusa wore, and he pulled the redhead into his warm embrace. "And when I say cuddle, I mean cuddle. No euphemisms there, I swear."

Matsubusa hesitated before he relented, relaxing in to Aogiri's arms. He reached up to touch Aogiri's chest, though his other hand was still firmly on his collar. "...Your Pokémon's a blabbermouth."

Aogiri couldn't help but chuckle. "True that. Levi can never keep any good news to herself, especially since she knows I've been burning for you for a long, long time now."

Matsubusa grunted as he leaned in to Aogiri's embrace. "She just wanted to tease me."

"Can't deny that was probably a bonus," Aogiri said slyly as he stroked Matsubusa's back. "You're so cute that it's hard not to tease you a little."

Matsubusa closed his eyes as he buried his face in Aogiri's chest. "...Idiot..."

"Let's just relax in here for a while," Aogiri said, sliding his hand up into the other man's soft red hair to play with it. "No one's going to give you a hard time in here." He paused then chuckled a moment. "Though I can't promise you won't make _me_ hard. You turn me on so damn easy, after all."

Matsubusa felt his heart skip a beat and he pressed his face more firmly in to Aogiri's pectorals, thankful that it blocked his face as he could only imagine the blush that was there. "I-is there anything that _won't_!?"

Aogiri hummed, pretending to mull the question over. "Nope! Sorry, but you're too damn sexy for me to keep my torpedo under control. We'll just have to live with me occasionally excusing myself to let it explode in private so we can get back to this." He slipped his arms around Matsubusa again and gently squeezed the leader of Team Magma close to his body.

Matsubusa felt a swelling of pleasure, both at the pirate's words and at the way he held him close. However, the feeling was completely shattered when it fully dawned on him what the pirate had said. Looking up sharply, the redhead glared at Aogiri. "Y-you! You used that word again!"

Aogiri burst out laughing, unable to help himself. "Can I help it if I love your pet name for my favorite part? If you want to give it some more, I'd love to hear them."

"N-no! Absolutely not!" Matsubusa protested, with a shake of his head. "You'd just _use_ them!"

Aogiri slid a finger along the back of Matsubusa's neck. "That's the idea."

Matsubusa shivered at the touch, his breathing hitching. "Y-y-you-!"

"I have a feeling _not_ using words to talk about my torpedo would be worse," Aogiri chuckled. "Seeing as how that pantomime Levi did didn't go over so well."

Matsubusa grimaced. "...W-why talk about it at _all_!?"

"Because it happens," Aogiri said, his expression softening. "We guys can't help when we get hard after all, especially because we get each other hot and bothered, and it's not a bad thing to get some relief. Freezing it down isn't anywhere near as fun as an orgasm, you know?"

"I-it... it never happened to me before I met you!" Matsubusa snapped, his expression flustered. "I-it's your fault!"

Aogiri felt his heart swell with triumph and pride. "Hey, I'll happily take all the blame for something as fantastic as that."

Matsubusa glowered at the pirate, though it was far more embarrassment than anger. "Y-you _would_!"

Aogiri leaned down to kiss each of those flushed cheeks. "Yup~! I can't tell you how thrilled I am that I turn you on as much as you do to me."

Matsubusa's breathing hitched at the kiss before he furrowed his brow. "...Why?"

Aogiri chuckled, which softly tickled against Matsubusa's skin. "Well, there's your looks, but more than that I love that clever mind of yours, that tendency you have to get flustered, and just overall the way you make me feel so _alive_."

Matsubusa moved his hands to grip the front of Aogiri's wetsuit, trembling slightly. "...You're so ridiculous... and baffling..."

"That's love, baby," Aogiri said before moving in for a kiss.

Matsubusa made a soft noise in to the kiss, his eyes drifting closed. He savored the warmth that flooded in to his body, mingling with the pirate's taste. It removed any lingering traces of tension in him, allowing him to relax in the pirate's grip.

Aogiri lost himself in the kiss, letting it linger until he was left breathless and panting. He smiled in satisfaction at the dazed look on Matsubusa's face and the way that the redhead needed to catch his breath too. "And there's also those looks you give me like right now."

Matsubusa blinked blurrily as he panted, clinging to Aogiri tightly. "Hnn?"

Aogiri smiled as he brushed back Matsubusa's bangs. "You just look so happy and content, and it's because of me. That's _amazing_."

Matsubusa paused at the contact before his blush returned, full force. "...W-well, I suppose I... I'm not... particularly _unhappy_."

"You damn right," Aogiri chuckled. "That's why I'm going to tell the others to cool it with the sexual harassment if your crew hasn't already."

Matsubusa stared at Aogiri, his eyes becoming impossibly wide as images of unwanted indecency flooded his mind. "S-s-s-s-_sexual harass_-!?"

Aogiri immediately realized his mistake and held up a hand. "Wait, no, no, I didn't mean it the way you're probably thinking. My crew would never lay a hand on you. I just mean that making jokes about sex or other sex-related cracks at them when they're not cool with it is sexual harassment. It's why we don't make any about Matt since he's way uncomfortable with sex."

Matsubusa blinked before he furrowed his brow. "...That would explain a few things." Admittedly, he wasn't particularly comfortable with sex, either. In the end, it had resulted in a rather awkward conversation that neither of them wanted to experience again.

Aogiri slowly raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Care to elaborate?"

Matsubusa quickly looked away, fidgeting with the front of Aogiri's wetsuit. "Not in the least."

Aogiri stifled a snicker behind his hand. "Had a feeling. I doubt Matt will fill me in either. Guess it'll just have to remain a mystery."

"Yes, it will," Matsubusa said firmly.

Aogiri lightly poked Matsubusa's nose. "Ohh, man of mystery, then maybe I shouldn't tell you about what I've got planned for this evening and leave it a big surprise."

Matsubusa squeaked and reached up to cover his nose, then shot Aogiri a suspicious stare. "What? ...What're you talking about!? I didn't approve of a surprise!"

"Surprises usually don't get approval," Aogiri teased.

"They do when _I'm_ involved!" Matsubusa huffed.

Leaning back, Aogiri let out a hum. "I don't know..."

"I forbid it!" Matsubusa snapped as he yanked sharply on Aogiri's wetsuit.

Aogiri looked down at Matsubusa's hands, unable to keep a straight face. "Okay, okay, since it's so important for you to hear spoilers, I _guess_ I'll go ahead and tell you about it."

"So _tell me_!" Matsubusa demanded as he tugged again.

Chuckling, Aogiri placed a peck on Matsubusa's forehead. "My crew is planning on throwing a big bonfire bash for you and your crew tonight. There's going to be music, booze, dancing, games, and whatever else we can think of to have a _blast_."

Matsubusa paused, then furrowed his brow. "A... bonfire? For _us_?"

Aogiri nodded with a huge smile plastered across his face. "Yup! Everyone's invited." He paused for a moment then winked. "Well, except the cops of course."

"E-everyone?" Matsubusa repeated before panic flooded his face. "W-who's _everyone_!?"

"Team Aqua and Team Magma of course," Aogiri chuckled. "Who else?"

Matsubusa hesitated. The idea was alarming, but he couldn't imagine Homura allowing such a thing to happen. There was no way they'd be able to involve the grunts of Team Magma, especially given that they were stuck in their civilian forms. "...My admins, you mean."

"We could fly in the rest of your team if you want," Aogiri said. "But I got the vibe that you weren't so close with them as you are with your admins."

Matsubusa arched an eyebrow. "Considering they've never seen my _face_, I would _agree_ with that assessment."

Aogiri rubbed his chin as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Yeah, the less people who know a secret identity the better..." Sheepishness crept into his expression. "I guess I should've tried harder not to make it so obvious that I was going after you because I'm absolutely crazy for you. I only told my admins what I figured out, but some of my crew are bound to put two and two together."

Matsubusa jerked at that, his face turning dark red. He bristled as he tugged sharply on Aogiri's wetsuit. "O-or they'll think you're a philanderer!"

"Or that," Aogiri said with a shrug. "I'm sure at least a few of them think I just saw you on TV, went DAMN, and lunged after you since I couldn't seduce 'Masky' or whatever."

Matsubusa quivered as he tugged harshly on Aogiri's wetsuit. "I-I wasn't _seduced_!"

Aogiri ran his hands along Matsubusa's taut knuckles. "My point exactly."

Matsubusa stopped and looked down at Aogiri's hands, then quickly back up at Aogiri's face. His hands tightened, though they didn't release the pirate's wetsuit. "...A-anyway, that's... this is fine, isn't it!?"

Aogiri bent down to steal a kiss from Matsubusa's lips. "Better than fine."

Matsubusa squeaked at the kiss before he began to tug anxiously at Aogiri's clothes, unthinkingly. "J-just so long as you don't... start regretting... b-because you have no business...!"

Aogiri stroked his fingers across one of Matsubusa's burning cheeks, his expression fond. "It doesn't matter if we have sex tonight, tomorrow, or never; we can still make love by just being together like this."

Matsubusa felt a shiver run up his spine as his heart raced in his chest. His face was impossibly red, to the point at he felt like he might faint. "I-i-idiot! Y-you... i-i-idiot!"

Laughing, Aogiri leaned in to press their foreheads together and gazed deeply into Matsubusa's vibrant crimson eyes. "A fool for love actually, and this fool is all yours."

Matsubusa went silent as he looked at Aogiri. After several long moments, his expression softened. "...You better not forget you said that."

Aogiri slid his arms around Matsubusa's waist and enjoyed how the warmth of their bodies mingled together. "I won't, believe me. I've never felt anything for anyone like I have you, Matsubusa."

Matsubusa closed his eyes as he rested his head against Aogiri's chest, feeling his strength and warmth seep in to the redhead's body. "...Good. It'd be... unfair if you had."

Aogiri smiled as he caught the implication. "I love you too, Masky."


	14. Chapter 14

When Aogiri had said 'big bonfire', Matsubusa wasn't certain what to expect. Yet despite having no idea what he was in for, Team Aqua still managed to surprise him. When Aogiri had said 'big', he _meant_ it - and big was a severe understatement. Outside the base, on the island itself, there was a large open space apparently meant for such occasions. At the center of the space was an enormous burn pit, far too for any practical - or legal - purpose.

The end result was such an intense, incredible flame that the bonfire shined like a beacon, generating enough heat and light to keep all of the revelers warm and lit even in the deepest of darkness.

Aogiri kept close to Matsubusa throughout the festivities, getting a particular jolt of pleasure seeing the redhead react when Pokémon launched fire attacks at the pit to get the bonfire started. "Big enough for you, Masky?" he whispered in Matsubusa's ear.

Matsubusa shivered at the closeness before he glanced at Aogiri out of the corners of his eyes. "...If you lose control of that thing, you'll torch the entire island."

Aogiri snickered and ruffled Matsubusa's hair affectionately. "With all these water Pokémon around? I don't think so."

Matsubusa squeaked and reached up to protect his hair, to no avail. "D-drunk water Pokémon are just as useless as _no_ water Pokémon!"

"Hey, all else fails, we'd just piss on it to put it out!" Ushio said, with a deep laugh, before he took a sip of his ale. He blinked when he noticed the thoroughly _disgusted_ look Matsubusa shot his way. "...What?"

Aogiri burst out laughing, slapping his leg. "That's one way to get a lot of liquid flowing!"

Shelly leaned back in her lounge chair and raised her bottle of mead at Ushio. "That, ladies and gentlemen, is but a small sample of the many brilliant ideas floating around in the gifted brain of our one and only Ushio."

Ushio blinked before he grinned brightly. "I got plenty more where that came from!"

"Do us all a favor and _keep them to yourself_," Matsubusa snapped, eying the large man.

Shelly gasped in mock horror. "And risk damaging his kidneys from holding it in too long? Surely you jest!"

Matsubusa stared at Shelly blankly for a moment, before her words registered. The redhead bristled as he glared at the doctor-turned-pirate. "E-_enough_ with the urine jokes!"

"What about pee puns?" Courtney asked as she looked up from the branch full of marshmallows she was roasting over the fire.

Matsubusa shot Courtney an irritated stare. "_No_. No toilet humor of any kind!"

Courtney met Matsubusa's gaze unwaveringly even as a few of her marshmallows caught fire. "The fire isn't a toilet."

Matsubusa's cheek twitched. "So don't make it one!"

"Never," Courtney said before she ate one of the flaming marshmallows. She didn't flinch from the molten sugar even as she spoke through her full mouth. "It'd make the marshmallows taste like piss."

Matsubusa blinked as he stared at Courtney, then turned to stare helplessly at Homura.

"Don't look at me," Homura said as he sipped his beverage, a fruity drink with no alcoholic content. "This is _your_ party."

"That's right," Aogiri said as he ruffled Matsubusa's hair. "This guy's in charge tonight! He calls all the shots!"

Matsubusa squeaked and reached up to cover his head, then shot Aogiri a scowl. "T-then don't argue with me! T-this is a no urine zone!"

"Hey, don't look at me," Aogiri said with a shrug. "I only ever pee in the woods when out in the middle of nowhere with no toilets around."

Matsubusa gaped at Aogiri, thoroughly aghast, before he slammed his hands on the table that had been set up for their use, covered in mugs and bottles of alcohol – which jostled from the impact. "Have you people never heard of _bathrooms_!?"

Smirking, Aogiri's expression turned wry. "I'm guessing you've never been a Pokémon trainer."

Matsubusa bristled, gripping the table. "I-I went to college instead! What of it!?"

"A lot of being a trainer means traveling through the woods," Aogiri said. "Which means you better get used to the idea that sometime, eventually, even if you bring a portable toilet and try to stick close to rest stops, you're going to go to the bathroom in the bushes at least once."

"That's true," Izumi said as she tapped her chin, thoughtfully. "That's why you always had to carry around a roll of toilet paper-"

"_Stop_!" Matsubusa shrieked as he raised his hands in the air. "Stop stop stop stop stop stop stop _stop_!"

Shelly raised her bottle to Matsubusa. "As you wish oh master of the great bonfire party. We'll stop discussing what comes out of our asses and urethra and start talking about chugging beer until we puke instead. _Right guys_?""

A resounding cheer answered, as others raised their drinks as well before taking swigs of their alcoholic beverage of choice.

Matsubusa lowered his arms as he slouched forward in an obvious sulk, glaring across the table at Shelly. "Nnnnghh..."

Aogiri wrapped his arm around Matsubusa and leaned in to give the other man a hug. "Okay, okay, mates, let's lay off the teasing for a while. I think Masky wants a turn to mock someone else for a while."

Shelly jerked her thumb to the side. "I'd volunteer Ushio, but he wouldn't notice he's being mocked."

Ushio let out a deep laugh, a bright smile on his face. "Damn right!"

Matsubusa eyed Aogiri, a pouting scowl on his face as he picked up his drink to give it a deep sip. There was no way he was going to handle these bastards sober, that was for certain.

"How's about you, Matt?" Aogiri asked. "Wanna volunteer?"

Matt hid his face behind his Pokédex as he tilted it towards Aogiri. "Nope, nope. I think I'll stick with recording all the mocking and idiocy for posterity."

"You could always shake it up," Shelly said with a smirk. "Try dancing on the other side of the lens for a change."

"Nope, I'm good," Matt said. "Besides, Matsubusa should volunteer the next person to roast. It's like truth or dare, only full of toilet humor and embarrassing video evidence."

Matsubusa huffed, looking away. As he did, his eyes fell on to the bonfire, where he spotted Leviathan and Dante together. The redhead paused and blinked, staring at the two Pokémon.

Leviathan stood in front of the bonfire, the flames casting a red glow on her body. She didn't seem to mind, instead boasting a big grin on her face as she swayed back and forth to the music, her tail lashing about behind her. The grunts kept a wide berth from the Pokémon, avoiding her massive tail as the Feraligatr wiggled.

Dante, meanwhile, raced around the flame as fast as he could. He barked loudly as he ran, hurrying around the perimeter of the flame before he arrived to Leviathan's side. As the Houndoom got close, Leviathan jerked about to greet him, crouching down and snapping her jaws. Dante stopped just short of the jaws and spun around wildly, turning around in several circles before suddenly taking off back around the bonfire. Leviathan returned to her wiggling, tail lashing back and forth as she straightened up.

Dante continued to bark as he ran, following the perimeter back around until he arrived at the opposite side of the Feraligatr. Leviathan jerked around again, mimicking the same action she had before, snapping her jaws in the air. The Houndoom once again spun around in several circles, barking furiously, before he raced off.

Matsubusa watched as the two continued the action several times, with Dante running round and around while Leviathan wiggled, in what he could only imagine was a strange dance that the two had created entirely for themselves. "Dante...?"

Aogiri looked over at the Pokémon and grinned. "Looks like our partners are having fun together."

Matsubusa paused at that, then glanced tentatively up at Aogiri. "I-i-if you're thinking of asking me to dance, y-you can forget it!"

Aogiri's eyes lit up and he rose to his feet. "Too late." He brought his arm to his chest and bowed as he gestured in the direction of the bonfire. "May I have this dance, my dear Matsubusa?"

Matsubusa jerked, his face going solid red as he stared at Aogiri. "A-are you stupid!? You want _me_ to _dance _in front of _everyone_!?" Even as he uttered his protest, the redhead reached out to take the pirate's hand.

Aogiri smiled and squeezed Matsubusa's hand tenderly before leading the other team leader away from the chairs and tables to the open area near the fire. "Not like Levi and Dante at any rate. I figure we just listen to the music and let it move our bodies where it takes us." He nodded over to the grunt serving as DJ beside a pair of large speakers and a laptop. "Hey, let's get this party started!"

The grunt nodded and in seconds the air was filled with a pulse pounding rhythm.

Matsubusa felt the music vibrate through his body, beating away as if it were his heart. He gripped Aogiri's hand tightly, staring up at the pirate as he obediently followed. "B-but I... what do I do...?"

Aogiri leaned in close to Matsubusa, his eyes alight with mischief. "Just follow my lead."

Matsubusa stared at Aogiri, then squeaked as the pirate reached one arm around his waist, pulling him close while holding his other hand captive. The redhead gripped at the pirate, his fingers curling around Aogiri's while his other hand grasped the pirate's powerful bicep as Aogiri began to lead the way.

The redhead felt a bit of a thrill as Aogiri moved him across the dance floor, the music throbbing through the air - and his body. As self-conscious as he felt, he couldn't deny that there was something _stimulating_ about the experience.

Aogiri savored how Matsubusa's body brushed against his intimately as they moved to the music. It made him feel bold, especially after seeing how the redhead blushed, and he waited until the climax of the song before he bent Matsubusa backwards into a dip and seized the other man's lips in an intense kiss.

Matsubusa felt his heart surge in his chest as he was kissed, the redhead holding tightly on to Aogiri. He vaguely thought he heard catcalls and cheers from all around him, but the sounds were drowned out by the beat of the music - and his own heart in his ears.

The kiss lingered long after the song ended and the next began, until finally Aogiri straightened, bringing Matsubusa up with him. He smiled in satisfaction at seeing that the other man's cheeks were almost as bright a shade of crimson as his hair. "Now that was a damn good dance."

Matsubusa felt his face flush with a mixture of emotions as he panted for breath. The dance felt like it had flown by so quickly, over in a single breath that he couldn't even clearly remember it, leaving him disoriented as he clung to the pirate. "I-I..."

Aogiri beamed with excitement and energy as he suddenly lifted Matsubusa up in the air and swung the leader of Team Magma around. "How's about we keep dancing like this _all night long_?"

Matsubusa squeaked as he was spun about and held on tightly to Aogiri, his heart still beating heavily in his chest. "A-_all_ night!?"

Aogiri took the time to contemplate the question, still holding Matsubusa high above him. "Well, until you're ready to hit the hay or we get too plastered to stay conscious, whichever comes first."

Matsubusa blinked before he frowned, dangling above Aogiri. "...S-so long as I get to keep my feet somewhere near the ground."

"I dunno," Aogiri teased. "I kinda like this position."

Matsubusa blinked before he scowled, his face still red. "And _why_, pray tell, is _that_!?"

Aogiri teasingly spun Matsubusa around again. "Because I'm holding you in my arms, of course!"

Matsubusa's face burned more brightly, and he swiftly kicked his legs out as he raised his arms. "Y-y-you just like seeing me unbalanced and at your mercy!"

Aogiri chuckled and lowered Matsubusa just enough so that they were eye-to-eye. "Actually, I like seeing you flustered with emotion and trusting me not to let you fall."

Matsubusa's heart skipped a beat as he stared at Aogiri for a moment, then quickly bristled. "I-if you did drop me, y-y-you'd never hear the end of it! I-it's more _your_ problem than mine!"

Rather than answer with words, Aogiri pulled Matsubusa close and seized the redhead's lips with his own in a tender kiss brimming with passion.

Matsubusa was cut off, startled by the kiss. However, he quickly found himself melting in to it. His eyes drifted closed as his hands moved to grip the front of Aogiri's shirt, clutching the black fabric tightly. "M-mnn.."

Shelly slid a little closer to Homura and looped her arm around his shoulder. "Hey, it seems to me Masky is having fun, so why don't we do the same?"

Homura glanced at Shelly out of the corners of his eyes as he sipped at his drink. "...Even so, I still need to keep his drinking to a the past few days, he's done being _wasted_ for quite some time._"_

"No argument here," Shelly said with a smirk. "That's why Paula is keeping an extra close eye on him from here on out. When it comes to spotting guys reaching their booze limit, she's an _expert_."

Homura blinked, then glanced about before his eyes settled on a woman in grunt uniform that was standing off to the side. Normally she wouldn't have stood out, but she was busy wandering the tables with drinks with the expert of a long-time waitress. Something about her seemed vaguely familiar, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "...Is that so?"

Shelly pressed her cheek against Homura's and slid her arm around him before bringing her bottle to her lips. "Trust me, the second she spots _anyone_ here at their limit, she's cutting them off. We've had enough of drunken mishaps for one week."

Homura's cheeks tinted lightly as Shelly drew closer, though he managed to restrain any further visible reaction. "I agree."

"Glad to hear it," Shelly practically purred as she held the bottle closer to Homura's lips.

Tabitha set down his nearly empty mug of beer with a chuckle. "Don't bother offering him any. Homura doesn't drink. Ever. He's pretty damn proud of that."

Shelly smirked like a Meowth that caught the Pidgey. "Oh, I think you'll find I can do the impossible. I've done it once before, after all." She slid her wicked gaze to Homura as she lightly tapped the mouth of the bottle against the assistant's lips.

Homura's blush brightened as he side-eyed the Kalos-born woman.

Kagari's eyebrows shot straight up as she stared at Homura and Shelly. "Oh _really_? ...Miracles _do_ happen."

Homura paused before he turned his attention on Kagari. "I drink _\- _or don't drink - by _choice_. I simply...made a different choice than usual_._"

Courtney looked up from skewering more marshmallows on her stick. "They say you regret drunk sex the most."

Homura bristled and he whirled to glare at Courtney. "I wasn't _drunk_-!"

"You just had sex," Courtney finished for him.

Homura paused at that, his eyes widening.

"Hmhmhm," Kagari giggled as she tapped her chin. "It would seem Homura might be spending a bit _too_ much time with Matsubusa~!"

The personal assistant's cheek twitched before he turned to glower down at his drink, sipping at it to keep himself from retorting.

Shelly nipped at Homura's ear, eliciting a yelp from him. She smirked at the pink that flooded the purple haired man's cheeks before whispering in a low, sultry tone. "I agree. You should be spending more time with _me_."

Izumi watched Homura and Shelly, a sly grin on her face as she slowly traced her finger around the rim of her fruity drink. "It looks like a total victory for Team Aqua, wouldn't you say~?" She turned to wink at Tabitha, her smile widening.

Tabitha blushed, but still returned the smile. "I'd say it was a victory for all of us, dear Izumi."

"True enough," Izumi agreed, with a giggle.

Courtney waved her stick of flaming marshmallows towards Izumi and Tabitha. "When _did_ you two actually get together?"

Izumi wiggled her brow, her smile still sly. "Hm, I wonder?"

Tabitha coughed behind his hand before taking a long sip of his drink.

Courtney narrowed her eyes, her stare piercing, as the fires on her marshmallows eventually burnt out.

Laughter accompanied Aogiri as he carried Matsubusa to the picnic table. "Dance break!"

Matsubusa blushed as he slumped in Aogiri's hands, rather resigned to being carried around bridal style. However, when the pirate moved to sit down, the redhead was startled to see that Aogiri _still_ hadn't put him down, and instead the leader of Team Magma found himself sitting in the pirate's lap. "A-Aogiri-!?"

Aogiri could tell from the way Matsubusa yelped his name what had startled the other man, which made him smile in satisfaction before he stole a kiss and silenced any potential protests.

Matsubusa made a soft noise in to the kiss before he fumbled up to place his hands on Aogiri's chest, pushing him back. "H-honestly! Your _lap_!?"

Aogiri snickered and let Matsubusa hold him at bay as he began to play with the other man's long red hair. "Best seat in the house."

Matsubusa glowered at Aogiri, though it was a struggle to maintain the angry expression. Each touch sent delightful chills along his spine, goosebumps forming on his skin. "...You're pushing your luck, as always."

Aogiri brushed his lips along the contours of Matsubusa's chin. "It's what I do best."

Matsubusa shivered at the kissing before he looked away, flustered. He reached up to grasp at his collar, tugging at it slightly. "I-idiot."

"When it comes to you, always," Aogiri chuckled, his quiet laughter tickling Matsubusa's skin.

Homura eyed Aogiri and Matsubusa before he glanced to Shelly. "...Have they been like this the _whole_ time?"

Shelly shrugged. "Whenever Masky wasn't trying to escape, yeah, pretty much."

Homura wrinkled his nose. "...I see."

Straightening up, Aogiri reached out across the table to snag a large bowl of fruit along with a smaller bowl of fudge. He made a show of taking a strawberry and dipping it in the fudge, his eyes never leaving Matsubusa, before he held it out to the leader of Team Magma. "Care for a bite?"

Matsubusa stared at the food, then Aogiri. "_What_ are you-?"

The taste of chocolate and strawberry cut the question off as Aogiri slid the food past Matsubusa's lips. "This, of course."

Matsubusa instinctively bit down on the strawberry and began to chew, blinking slowly. After several moments, the redhead swallowed as his face tinted. "...Oh."

Aogiri picked up a blueberry and teasingly waved it beneath Matsubusa's nose. "Get the picture?"

Matsubusa's eyes followed the blueberry, even as Aogiri retracted the fruit before moving it over to where the fudge awaited. The leader of Team Magma watched as the pirate dipped the blueberry in to the chocolate coating, before he eyed the pirate out of the corner of his eyes. "A-and you think... I'll just sit here and let you feed me?"

Aogiri was quick to pop the sweet confection into Matsubusa's mouth before it closed. "Yup~!"

Matsubusa found himself with food in his mouth yet again, and was quick to eat it. His blush deepened as he continued to side-eye the pirate. "Y-you just surprised me, that's all! Twice!"

"Funny," Aogiri murmured as he reached out for a cherry next, "It looked to me that you were watching me _very_ closely."

Matsubusa paused at that, before looked away. "T-t-that's... just your imagination!"

Aogiri pressed the chocolate-coated cherry against Matsubusa's lips before easing it inside the other man's mouth. "Careful, there might be a pit in this one."

Matsubusa's tongue instinctively flicked out to clean up the chocolate syrup against his lips, then paused as he carefully ate the cherry, leaving the pit. He then paused, uncertain what to do with it. The thought of spitting out or reaching in to remove the pit seemed embarrassing, and the redhead briefly debated _swallowing_ the pit rather than risking such embarrassment. Logic, however, won out and rather than doing something so stupid, the redhead simply flushed with mortification and lifted his hand to hide his mouth as he retrieved the pit with his other hand.

Aogiri couldn't help but chuckle at how timid Matsubusa looked and offered the redhead a napkin. "No one here is going to care if you just spit the pit into the fire, you know."

Matsubusa accepted the napkin, using it to dispose of the pit. "...I don't _spit_."

Aogiri tried to hold himself back, but the opening was just too tempting. "Oh? So you _swallow_?"

Matsubusa blinked slowly, then arched an eyebrow. "Well, of course. There's no other civilized way to deal with it."

Aogiri covered his mouth to hold back his laughter. He coughed to try and cover it up and keep a straight face. "So you enjoy swallowing then?"

Matsubusa was about to retort when he paused and eyed Aogiri suspiciously. The pirate's mirth sent off a warning bell in his head – he was being teased somehow. "...What?"

"Oh, nothing," Aogiri said in a sing-song voice as he reached out for some sponge cake to dip in the fudge next.

Matsubusa furrowed his brow, unsatisfied with the response. "Is that so."

Aogiri offered the chocolate-dipped cake with a faux innocent look. "Nothing as tasty as this."

Matsubusa stared hard at Aogiri for a moment before he reluctantly opened his mouth, allowing the pirate to slip the cake inside.

Aogiri smiled in satisfaction. "Though not even that cake is as tasty as _you_."

Matsubusa blinked before he swallowed hard, his blush going full force on his face. "I-idiot-!"

"How cute," Shelly said as she watched Aogiri and Matsubusa. "It's like they're in their own little world." Her gaze slid to Homura. "It's seems a shame you want to tear them apart so soon after they're finally so happy being together like this."

"...We have no choice, and you know it," Homura said, stiffly.

Matsubusa paused at that before he whipped around his head to stare at Homura, startled out of the moment. "What-?!"

Homura's eyes shifted over to Matsubusa's face, noting his outraged expression. "...Look, let's _not_ forget this started with a kidnapping _in broad daylight_. The police are actually taking the situation seriously now, for _whatever_ reason, and won't stop until you're 'rescued'. That means _we_ need to return with you in tow, the 'ransom' having been paid. Otherwise, they're going to keep trying to attack Team Aqua in order to restore their reputation - and _maybe_ rescue you in the process."

Matsubusa paused at that before he grimaced, reaching up to fidget with his collar. He had to admit Homura had a point. It was just unbelievably ironic that the police attempting to rescue him was ending up being more a nuisance than a help. But then, the police were _always_ nuisances.

Aogiri bit back a sigh of regret before kissing Matsubusa on the cheek, smiling through the disappointment. "Hey, don't worry. We'll just have to figure out creative ways of visiting each other as often as possible, that's all."

Matsubusa blushed darkly at the kiss, returning his attention to Aogiri. "Ah, I..."

Kagari arched an eyebrow as she regarded the two leaders. "Honestly, I'm not sure how much of a concern that should be. The amount of people that _didn't care_ about a _pirate vigilante_ wandering around in public was a lot _higher_ than I would have expected."

"They know Aogiri's identity," Courtney said as she skewered more marshmallows.

Aogiri shrugged at that. "Eh, that's nothing new. There's pretty hilarious editorials from people speculating how I went from champion to vigilante I could link you sometime."

"I've already seen them," Homura said, his tone deceptively light.

Matsubusa frowned as he glanced at his admins, then to Aogiri. He continued to tug at his changshan's collar, a disquieting sense of unease forming inside him. He should've been thrilled to be heading back, but it certainly didn't _feel_ like welcome news.

Aogiri looked at Matsubusa's hands for a moment before bending down to kiss them. "Don't worry, we'll make it work. I promise."

Matsubusa's face burned red as he watched Aogiri, his expression uneasy. "...I-it's not like I care or anything."

Aogiri snickered as he gave Matsubusa a knowing look. "Of course not." He readjusted his hold on the redhead so that he could stand with Matsubusa cradled close in his arms. "Well, I feel like dancing some more, so let's get back on the dance floor!"

Matsubusa squeaked and grasped at Aogiri's shirt, blinking. He then furrowed his brow and eyed the pirate. "Are you going to carry me _all night_?"

"Or until you get bored with it and ask me to put you down," Aogiri said as he sauntered back to the open area near the fire pit. "Whichever comes first."

"...Is that so," Matsubusa said, his voice going quiet. "So unless I say otherwise, you intend to carry me around."

Aogiri spun around in place with a wide grin. "That's the plan! Though I might make an exception when we're dancing."

Matsubusa glanced up at that. "What kind of exception-?"

Aogiri set Matsubusa down as the next song began to play so that he could spin the redhead around. "Like this!"

Matsubusa gasped as he gripped Aogiri's hands tightly. "I-idiot! Don't do that so _suddenly_-!"

Aogiri leaned in close as he bent Matsubusa back. "Then allow me to slow things down a little."

Matsubusa felt his heart leap in his chest as Aogiri began to guide him about, one hand on his hip while the other held his left hand upwards. The redhead stared at the pirate as he moved about the floor in a slow dance, one that didn't entirely fit the rhythmic pounding beat of the music. But then, the music ultimately didn't matter, only Aogiri did as he moved with slow and powerful movements while easing Matsubusa around the dance floor.

Matsubusa gripped Aogiri's hand tightly, the other going to grasp the pirate's forearm, as he followed the leader of Team Aqua's lead. "You're... a surprisingly good dancer... f-for an idiot."

Aogiri stole a quick kiss from Matsubusa's lips before replying with a wide smile. "Only the best for you, Masky."

Masky blushed brightly, tightening his grip on the pirate. "...Well, so long as you understand that."

With gentle eyes, Aogiri spun Matsubusa around before pulling the other man flush against his chest. "Of course I do. Whenever I'm with you, it's _always_ the best."

Matsubusa hesitated before he relented, relaxing against the pirate. Propping his head on Aogiri's chest, the redhead closed his eyes and listened to the deep heartbeat of the man before him. It was a vulnerable and surprisingly affectionate gesture, but one that he _needed_. It was hard to explain, and he could only hope the pirate wouldn't press him for one.

Instead of speaking, Aogiri bent down to kiss the top of Matsubusa's head before resting his chin on Matsubusa's crown as they enjoyed the rest of their dance. He felt giddy and relaxed all at once, but most of all, holding Matsubusa in his arms like this felt so very right.

The two leaders enjoyed each other's company as they danced slowly, the party continuing on around them. The music and the sounds the people made melted away in to little more than background noise, with only Matsubusa and Aogiri remaining. The two men were left to enjoy each other's company, time marching ever onward in to the night.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: **Please be advised that this chapter has been heavily censored in order to fit within this site's rating guidelines, with the respective areas designated by a #. For the full chapter and the mature content within, please see either our Tumblr _DragonandTiger_ or our Archive of Our Own accounts as users _Mouko_ or _Yuki_. Due to the censoring of outside links, we unfortunately cannot provide them directly. We apologize for the inconvenience.

* * *

By the time the party wound down, it was closer to dawn than midnight, which left many people quite fatigued as they retired for the night. Aogiri, to Matsubusa's amazement, still had enough energy to carry the leader of Team Magma to his bedroom while humming a jaunty tune from one of the many songs played at the party.

Matsubusa slouched in Aogiri's arms, resigned to his fate, as his arms dangled downward. "Are you even _capable_ of feeling tired?"

Aogiri bent down to nuzzle his nose against Matsubusa's. "Not when it comes to spending time with you."

Matsubusa blushed darkly as his heart fluttered in his chest. "Y-you... you just say that crap so easily...!"

Aogiri entered his bedroom, pausing only to kick the door closed behind them, then sauntered towards the bed. "And it's all true, Masky babe."

Matsubusa made a noise in the back of his throat as he reached up to cover his face. "A-and what's with carrying me like this?! I'm not... s-some blushing bride!"

Aogiri chuckled and made a show of laying Matsubusa onto the bed. "Nope, you're a blushing Masky."

Matsubusa huffed as he sat on the soft bed, his face still a deep shade of crimson as he glared at Aogiri. "A-and you're... an idiot!"

Aogiri leaned over Matsubusa as he slid onto the sheets beside the redhead until their hips touched, his arms fencing Matsubusa in against the bed. "An idiot who's dumbstruck with love over you."

Matsubusa's eyes widened as he leaned back, then squeaked as he fell backwards against the bed. He hesitated, then gripped the sheets tightly. "...Which makes you even more of an idiot..."

Aogiri brushed his lips against Matsubusa's before flashing his former rival a grin. "And what does that make you?"

Matsubusa's breathing hitched at the light kiss, and he felt warmth pooling in his stomach before spreading to the rest of his body. "...Just as much an idiot as you..."

Aogiri practically melted at those words, his eyes softening with affection before he moved in for another kiss. "Happy to hear it," he murmured against Matsubusa's lips.

Matsubusa shivered, Aogiri's lips ticklish against his own. His hands moved instinctively to grasp at the pirate's shirt, holding it tightly. "Aogiri..."

"Matsubusa...," Aogiri whispered, the word coming out like a sigh. He pressed close to Matsubusa, but made sure to keep the bulk of his weight off the lithe man beneath him so as not to make the redhead uncomfortable. He wanted to savor the feeling of Matsubusa in his arms, the tender warmth the Team Magma leader radiated that gently mingled with his.

Matsubusa felt his heart flutter at the way the pirate said his name, and looked at Aogiri's face to see his blissful expression. The very idea that he had such an effect on Aogiri was thrilling, it made him feel _important_ to the leader of Team Aqua. He rather _liked_ feeling important - he _liked_ feeling like someone actually cared whether he lived or died. It made him feel wanted and _desirable_.

But would Aogiri still desire him when he was gone?

Such a thought sent chills through Matsubusa's body, and his hands moved to grip the pirate's shirt tightly. Even if Aogiri said they'd make it work, _distance_ still had its ways in ruining things. He had enough experience to know how expendable people tended to find him, with only the most stubborn willing to stay by his side.

Matsubusa's hands shook as he tugged on Aogiri's shirt, his expression becoming uneasy. "I..."

Aogiri could see the anxiety in Matsubusa's eyes and the subtle nervous quake in the Team Magma leader's normally confident voice. Gently, the leader of Team Aqua kissed Matsubusa's cheek and rubbed the redhead's shoulders. "It's okay. You might be making me hard, but I won't be pushing you to polish my torpedo like earlier if you're not in the mood. I'm having tons of fun just holding you like this and making out."

Matsubusa hesitated at that before he looked away. "...And if I don't, will you still...?"

Aogiri blinked, confused for a moment, before he chuckled softly and placed a kiss on Matsubusa's cheek. "I love you, Matsubusa. Being together with you like this is what I want more than anything. Sex might be an awesome bonus, but _you_ are the grand prize."

"...But will I be such a prize when I'm out of reach?" Matsubusa asked, his voice sullen.

"Oh, so that's it," Aogiri said. "You think just because you're going home tomorrow that I'm going to stop chasing you since I've already caught you once." He let out a chuckle as his grin turned sly. "Masky, I've been chasing after that hot ass of yours for _years_, and I don't intend to stop any time soon."

Matsubusa looked at Aogiri's shirt as he fidgeted, tugging at it anxiously. "...Is that so."

Aogiri kissed Matsubusa's forehead. "We'll make it work. I'll sneak over to your place when the cops aren't looking, and whenever you go out with that mask on, you can take a detour to come see me if me and my team don't come to you first."

Matsubusa closed his eyes as he gripped Aogiri's shirt tightly, pulling him closer unthinkingly. "...So business as usual, then... with you being a complete nuisance as always..."

Aogiri took that as a sign to mark a trail of kisses along Matsubusa's jaw line. "You better believe it, baby. I have no intention of ever leaving you alone."

Matsubusa shivered, his breathing hitching as his heart began to thunder in his chest. Aogiri's kisses left a hot trail against his skin that lingered even after the lips had moved on. He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white at how tightly he held the pirate's shirt. "I-is that supposed to make me happy?"

"If it doesn't, just give me time," Aogiri said in a near husky purr before playfully nipping Matsubusa's chin. "I'll find out _everything_ that makes you happy, sooner or later."

Matsubusa shivered as he tilted his head back, exposing more of his neck and throat to the pirate. "W-what makes you think I'd tell you...?"

Aogiri took his time to run his tongue along Matsubusa's now exposed throat before answering. "What you did just now told me _plenty_."

"I-it t-told you nothing-!" Matsubusa gasped out as he tilted his head further back, giving Aogiri full access to his throat as he snapped his eyes shut.

Aogiri kissed and lightly sucked on Matsubusa's skin with a husky growl."Nah, it told me you love it when I attack your neck with kisses."

"I-I... a-ahn...!" Matsubusa gasped, his fingers fanning as he pressed his palms against Aogiri's chest.

Aogiri chuckled, which created a ticklish sensation against Matsubusa's skin. "See?" He slid his hands along the redhead's shoulders. "You're telling me what you love loud and clear."

Matsubusa's breathing hitched as he squirmed beneath Aogiri, his skin becoming flushed. "I-it said n-nothing... nothing of the sort...!"

A quiet moan escaped Aogiri as he enjoyed the way Matsubusa writhed against him. "Oh yeah... this cute body of yours is saying, yes, yes, give me more kisses. How can I say no to that?" He brushed his lips along Matsubusa's chin for emphasis, working his way up to the other man's flushed cheeks.

"B-bastard...!" Matsubusa's voice came out as a soft whine as he clung tightly to Aogiri. He felt his body growing impossibly hot, magma flowing through his veins.

"And those cute noises you're making?" Aogiri chuckled as he moved to whisper in Matsubusa's ear. "Damn. How can I resist?"

Matsubusa shivered before he yanked on Aogiri's shirt tightly. "Y-you aren't even trying...!"

Aogiri leaned back, but with Matsubusa tugging so firmly on his shirt, he couldn't go further than to look at the Team Magma leader eye-to-eye. "Do you want me to try?"

Matsubusa paused at that, his eyes opening wide. He was silent as he considered the question for several moments before he anxiously furrowed his brow. "...Do you... want to?"

Aogiri placed a kiss on Matsubusa's nose. "I'm up for anything and everything you are." He paused for a moment before his expression turned wry. "Well, maybe not hardcore BDSM or stuff like that. Can't say I'm a big fan of dishing out pain unless it's to an evil bastard that deserves it."

Matsubusa blinked slowly before he arched an eyebrow. "...Keep my whip out of it."

Aogiri blinked before he burst out laughing at Matsubusa's expression. "Oh good. I was hoping you weren't interested in using that whip on me, or any other painful toy you carry around with you to dish out justice."

Matsubusa began to scowl, despite his blushing cheeks. "...I might consider it, if it'll stop you from talking about such nonsense!"

Aogiri smiled and brought a couple of fingers to the corner of his mouth, closing his lips as he drew a line across them while making a zipping sound.

Matsubusa rolled his eyes before he let out a heavy sigh. "Honestly..."

Aogiri stole a kiss from Matsubusa before grinning again. "Hey, it's a good thing to find out where our boundaries are so we don't make each other uncomfortable."

"Or you're just teasing me again," Matsubusa murmured, sourly.

"A little," Aogiri admitted before kissing Matsubusa's pouty lips. "But I'm serious about the boundaries thing. I want our time together to be nothing short of _amazing_."

Matsubusa's expression softened, and his eyes drifted down to his hands. He still lightly held the pirate's shirt, his fingers not yet ready to release the clothes from his grip.

Aogiri ran his fingers through Matsubusa's hair as he looked fondly into the other man's vibrant red eyes. "Speaking of which, I better take care of this armed torpedo before it goes off or kills me with blue ball bombing and ruins our fun."

Matsubusa jerked as his eyes widened, before both his scowl and his blush returned in full force. "D-don't _call_ it _that_-!"

Aogiri kissed Matsubusa's forehead before he started to sit up. "I'll be right back."

Matsubusa's grip became a vice, grasping Aogiri's shirt tightly so that the pirate jerked against it as he stood up.

Aogiri paused when it was obvious Matsubusa wasn't about to let go and leaned in with a wry smile. "Not ready to let me go yet, huh?"

Matsubusa hesitated, his expression uncertain even as his grip remained strong. "I... Aogiri..."

Aogiri took note of the uncertainty and lowered himself to the bed so that he could pull Matsubusa close to him. "That's fine," he said gently, rubbing the other man's back. "I can hold off a little longer so I can hold _you_ longer."

Matsubusa went quiet as he felt Aogiri close against his body, his heart pounding in his chest. His emotions were a whirlwind, and not simply because of what he had been through the past few days. It was admittedly very overwhelming, to suddenly find himself so close to the man that had driven him crazy for _years_. It felt like a dream, far too surreal to be real. And yet, he absolutely couldn't deny how real the other man's body felt against his own.

The redhead could feel his temperature rising, and feelings he didn't entirely understand bubbling through him. And among those complicated feelings was the ever growing anxiety towards his departure in the morning. It made no sense for him to be upset about such a thing, as it was precisely what he had _wanted_ barely a day or so prior. And yet being faced with that reality now, he felt only unhappiness and an overwhelming need to feel more of Aogiri's affection - and anything else he had to offer.

Matsubusa closed his eyes as his hands trembled, trying to will his emotions under control. None of it made sense, but then it never _did_ make sense when Aogiri was involved. All he knew was that the pirate had a way in getting past his defenses and making him _feel_. And as of that moment, all he _wanted_ to do was _feel_.

After several long moments of silence, Matsubusa finally opened his eyes and tentatively looked up at the pirate's face. "...Aogiri...?"

"Yeah?" Aogiri asked softly, sensing the seriousness in the air.

Matsubusa opened his mouth, but the words couldn't seem to come out. He snapped his jaw shut with an audible click and fidgeted, toying with Aogiri's shirt. He really couldn't believe he was considering this, that he was actually tempted to even approach the subject. Logically, he should have backed off. And yet, he couldn't.

The redhead lapsed in to silence again, and he could feel Aogiri watching him closely. The pirate was waiting to see what he'd do, what he wanted to say. Aogiri was surprisingly perceptive, for a complete idiot. And if that was the case, perhaps words didn't even need to be said - as it certainly seemed like Matsubusa couldn't utter them.

With that in mind, Matsubusa turned his eyes to look at Aogiri again. He felt his face begin to _burn_ even as he tentatively drew back one of his hands, releasing Aogiri's shirt to reach up and unbutton the top button of his changshan.

Aogiri's eyebrows shot up as Matsubusa started to strip. It was just a single button removed, but the significance was unmistakable. He kissed the trembling hand that lay over the changshan, his eyes never leaving Matsubusa. "We'll go as far as you want, love, and stop whenever you need to. All we're doing is enjoying each other, so I'm not going to be upset if you get too overwhelmed and change your mind at any time."

Matsubusa felt a wave of both relief and irritation that Aogiri had caught his meaning without words. Part of him had hoped Aogiri wouldn't, so that he could retreat from the situation with his pride intact. But that part was _much_ smaller than the rest of him, which begged him to at least _try_ and see what the pirate had to offer. He wanted to feel Aogiri's affection, his so called _love_, and see how real it was. Quietly, the redhead nodded.

Aogiri brushed his lips against Matsubusa's chin before gazing deeply into the other man's vibrant red eyes. "Since you have trouble speaking up, how about I tell you what I'm going to do, and you nod or shake your head depending on if you want to do it or not? That way, you don't have to say anything, and you don't have to be scared that you can't."

Matsubusa hesitated before he tentatively nodded. He clenched his jaw tight instinctively, his face the same color as his hair. It was embarrassing to admit that he couldn't speak, that the words refused to come, but he hoped that Aogiri at least gave him credit for finding a way to continue onward in spite of that.

Aogiri's expression softened and he brushed his lips against Matsubusa's in a tender kiss before ruffling the other man's hair. "Hey, no need to tense up. I promise, all we're doing is what we enjoy. Just make sure to let me know what you don't, and I'll put a stop to it like _that_." He snapped his fingers for emphasis.

Matsubusa grimaced before he reached up to smooth out his hair. He slowly brushed back his red locks as he looked at Aogiri through the tussled bangs. "...I'm going to hold you to that."

"Good," Aogiri murmured as he stole a quick kiss from Matsubusa. "For starters, how about I undo a few more of those buttons?"

Matsubusa made a soft noise in to the kiss, then huffed. "...Don't break them."

Aogiri chuckled as he leaned back just enough to get a good look the changshan and Matsubusa's face as he worked at undoing the buttons one by one. "Don't worry, I'll be _reeeeal_ gentle..."

Matsubusa shivered as he glanced downward, watching Aogiri's fingers as they slowly unbuttoned his changshan. At the time, he thought it was a safer option than Aogiri's face, but seeing his clothes come undone proved to be the far more _dangerous_ option. "...Ah."

"Don't worry," Aogiri murmured after seeing Matsubusa's expression. "Right now all I'm doing is just taking this off. My clothes will come next."

Matsubusa's eyes flickered up to Aogiri's face before going back to the pirate's hands as they undid his changshan, all the way down to his stomach. He couldn't find the words, and instead simply nodded his understanding.

Once Aogiri finished unfastening the changshan, he forced himself to resist the temptation to kiss that pale exposed chest before him and straightened up. He grinned wickedly as he made a show of slowly unbuttoning his own shirt, taking time to caress his muscles to draw Matsubusa's gaze to them. The way the other man's eyes widened at the sight of his firm flesh did _not_ disappoint him.

Matsubusa reached up to grasp at his collar out of habit, only to be startled when he touched flesh instead. He blinked, then blushed ever darker as he stared at the pirate in front of him. "A-ah..."

Aogiri let his shirt slip off one shoulder, the front hanging wide open, as he took Matsubusa's hand in his and kissed the back of it, his eyes never leaving the redhead's.

Matsubusa's hand grasped at Aogiri's own as the redhead's breathing hitched. "A-Aogiri..."

"Like what you see?" Aogiri asked in a sultry tone as he slid his shirt down both his arms.

Matsubusa blinked before he looked away, with a flustered scowl. "I-it's... passable...!"

Aogiri chuckled and leaned in to kiss those pouty lips. "Let's see if we can make it even _more_ enticing when I get the rest of this off..." He hooked his thumbs into his pants, tugging at them in a tantalizing manner.

Matsubusa jerked about to stare, his eyes wide. Admittedly, he knew that part was going to happen, since it'd be rather hard to progress _without_ doing it. However, the prospect of it suddenly looming in his face was still a bit startling. "A-ah-!"

Slowly, Aogiri slid his pants down, revealing like before that he had opted out of wearing underwear, as well as the fact that he sported a rock hard erection.

Matsubusa gave a start as he gaped at Aogiri, his eyes wide. Now that he had neither nothing nor water to obstruct his view, he was left stunned by the sight. "B-by Arceus... it really _is_ a _torpedo_-" The redhead immediately jerked and clasped both hands over his mouth, looking up sharply in horror at what he had let slip.

Aogiri tried to hold it back, but that outburst was too much, and he couldn't help but laugh. "So I take it my magnificent meaty manhood meets with Masky's approval?"

Matsubusa bristled, glaring at Aogiri with a mortified expression. "I-it's _passable_!"

Aogiri chuckled and bent down to kiss Matsubusa's flushed cheeks as he squirmed his way out of his pants, kicking his clothes off the bed. "Ready to show me your mighty _missile_?"

"My miss-?" Matsubusa began before he bristled again as realization hit him. "D-d-don't go nicknaming... t-t-_that_ without my permission!"

"But it's perfect, don't you think?" Aogiri asked with faux innocence. "We both have weapons that _explode_ \- mine shoots through water and yours over land, just like our teams."

"D-don't apply logic to n-naming our-!" Matsubusa sputtered before he slammed his hands on the bed. "_I forbid it_!"

Aogiri traced the contour of Matsubusa's chin. "Just think of them as our mighty weapons of mass _orgasm_."

Matsubusa shivered at the touch before he huffed again in indignation. "S-stop talking about them and _get on with it_!"

"As you wish," Aogiri practically purred before reaching down to tug on Matsubusa's pants.

Matsubusa froze when he felt Aogiri's hands on his pants. His eyes locked with the pirate's, who kept his gaze firmly on the redhead's face. The leader of Team Magma paused when he realized the pirate had stopped and was waiting for the redhead's approval, before Matsubusa shakily nodded his head, his fingers digging in to the sheets.

Aogiri took his time in easing Matsubusa's pants downward, taking great care not to overwhelm the other man. He smiled at the sight of the tent in Matsubusa's boxers, but decided to hold back on another wry quip just yet. "You really are damn sexy, Masky, you know that?"

Matsubusa glanced away, still holding the bed tightly. "...I'll... take your word for it."

Aogiri bent down to nuzzle Matsubusa's neck before placing a kiss there. "Good, since I think you're driving me _crazy_ with how much you excite me."

Matsubusa shivered at the contact of Aogiri's beard against his neck, then turned his head to look at the pirate. "...Aogiri..."

Aogiri smiled, his expression gentle, before he pressed his lips against Matsubusa's in a tender kiss.

Matsubusa closed his eyes as he allowed himself to relax in to the kiss, his hands releasing the bed to reach out for Aogiri's shirt. Instead of cloth, they only found _pectorals_. His hands paused and he briefly debated retracting them, but instead allowed his palms to rest against Aogiri's skin, his fingers fanning.

Aogiri let out a quiet rumble of pleasure, his voice vibrating against Matsubusa's lips. "Go ahead," he murmured, voice husky. "Explore all you like."

Matsubusa opened his eyes until they were half-lidded, looking at the pirate. Tentatively, he moved his fingertips around the firm surface, noting how powerful Aogiri's muscles were. It was only to be expected, the man was a _powerhouse_.

A quiet sigh intermingled with a moan escaped Aogiri as he savored the way Matsubusa touched him, so tentative yet eager. He couldn't help but smile and stroked the other man's long red hair to help encourage Matsubusa to enjoy such intimate exploration.

Matsubusa's hands journeyed across Aogiri's chest, slow and cautious as he became familiar with the other man's body. After several minutes of examination, the redhead looked up to meet Aogiri's eyes. "...I..."

"Ready for more?" Aogiri asked huskily, trying not to sound too eager.

Matsubusa was silent for several moments before he nodded.

#

* * *

Dawn was still quite a ways off when the helicopter carrying the CEO and top admins of Kazan Industries came down to land at the airport. It was an early morning trip, giving them the shroud of darkness in hopes of avoiding too much attention. Unfortunately, it appeared to be a wasted effort, judging by the enormous crowd gathered in the darkness.

Matsubusa scowled as he stepped out of the helicopter, the other admins joining him. He glared at the gathering of reporters and police officers, his face twisted in a sulk. "...I should've just slept in."

"With Aogiri," Courtney said from behind him. She wore another set of fuzzy pajamas that looked like a Pokémon - this time it was in the style of a Chespin.

"I tend not to sleep much with him a-," Matsubusa began groggily before he realized what he was saying. He quickly clapped his hand over his mouth and whirled to stare at Courtney, and then Homura. His face burned as he saw Homura's tight-jawed stare, then looked away. "I-it's just too early, that's all!"

Tabitha chuckled awkwardly. "Uh, right boss."

"Hmhm," Kagari tapped her finger against her mouth as she smiled crookedly. Her eyes drifted over to Homura. "Well, I'm sure Homura understands _quite_ well. I hear _he_ didn't get much sleep this week, eith-"

Homura's hand reached over to cover Kagari's mouth, his own face showing hints of red despite his self-control. "_Regardless_, we will need to get to the limos as quickly as possible."

Courtney looked from Matsubusa to Homura. "Like father, like daughter?"

"...Are you volunteering to be the vulture bait this time, Courtney?" Homura asked, his tone seemingly light.

Courtney stared at Homura for a moment more before she grabbed Tabitha by the arm and shoved him towards Homura. The dark haired admin yelped and stared back at her as she gave him a salute. "Good luck."

"H-hey, wait a second!" Tabitha sputtered as he watched Courtney walk away.

"Someone needs to do _something_," Matsubusa grumbled, even as he stayed right where he was. "It's cold."

Homura paused before he sighed. "_Fine_, I'll-"

At that moment, a limo followed by a fleet of smaller black cars suddenly appeared on the tarmac. Driving across the airport without a care in the world, the vehicles came to a stop close where Kazan Industries' own vehicles were parked, forcing the assembled crowd who had surrounded them to immediately retreat. The people had no time to recover before the doors to the small black car swung open, men in business suits emerging in large numbers.

The driver's door to the limo opened, revealing a man with short, teal-colored hair in a white business suit. He walked about to the door closest to the helicopter and opened it, standing dutifully to the side.

From within, two individuals emerged. First, Sakaki slipped out of the limo, wearing a black business suit. He straightened up, a fine jacket draped over his arm, before he reached up to put a black fedora on his head. He stepped back from the limo, turning back to the entryway. Within the darkness, dazzling light could be seen seconds before his Persian leapt out to the ground beside the limo. She straightened up, her ephemeral glow illuminating the area softly before she pranced forward and turned to strike a pose in front of the gathered reporters.

Sakaki turned to reach his free hand inside the limo, which was taken by the well-manicured hand of the final occupant. Sakaki helped a beautiful woman with long red hair and voluptuous curves slip out of the car, her black business suit hugging her body in all the right places. After getting to her feet, she brushed her bangs back and turned to smile at her escort. She glanced at the doorman with her red eyes as he closed the door behind them, then the trio focused their attention on the crowd.

The woman snaked her arms around Sakaki's offered arm and the two proceeded forward, the suited men surging around him like a tsunami that threatened to crash against the assembled crowd. Wordlessly, both reporters and police alike moved back, parting like a biblical sea as Sakaki made his way to the helicopter. His black-suited men formed a barrier between the reporters and police, lining the pathway as they stood firmly at attention like a finely trained army.

Sakaki and the woman stopped just outside the helipad itself, with only the teal-haired man continuing onward. He walked directly up to the helicopter and offered an easy-going smile up at the staring admins and their leader.

"I'm quite pleased to see you safe, Mister Kazan," the man said, cheerfully. "Welcome back to civilization. Shall we be off?"

Matsubusa paused before he nodded, proceeding forward towards the awaiting attendant. He reached up to grasp at the collar of his changshan tightly, anxious at the prying eyes. Homura and the rest of the admins followed after him quite closely, hovering around Matsubusa as a protective barrier of their own.

The teal-haired man led the way, Matsubusa following after him. Matsubusa did his best not to glance about, as he could feel all attention upon him as he made his way to where Sakaki awaited. He instead focused on other details, such as identifying their guide as one of the top executives of Silph Co. – Apollo, if he remembered correctly.

The walk only took a few seconds, but the attention of the reporters and the shouts of their questions as they vied for attention made it feel unbearably long. Apollo stepped to the side once they reached Sakaki, lacing his fingers behind his back as he continued to smile.

Matsubusa stood awkwardly in front of Sakaki, his eyes drifting from the proudly posing Persian to the CEO of Silph Co. and the woman beside him, who he knew as Athena. She was Sakaki's wife, and a high-ranking executive in Silph Co. as well. She gave him a small smile when their eyes met, and he quickly returned his attention to Sakaki. "I... wasn't expecting to see you in Hoenn."

Sakaki tilted his hat in greeting to Matsubusa. "I'm not surprised given all that you've been through."

"Hostages typically _are_ out of the loop," Apollo said, brightly. "But don't worry, I'm sure you'll recover quickly enough."

Matsubusa's eyes darted over to Apollo before they returned to Sakaki. "T-thank you for your concern."

"I'm just glad we managed to get a happy ending out of all this," Sakaki said as he readjusted his hat. "Now then, shall we go? I imagine you're awfully tired after everything you've been through."

"I... yes," Matsubusa said, his face turning red as he nodded. Images of Aogiri 'putting him through' quite a bit played in his mind, making his blush ever darker.

At that moment, the rather familiar and _unwanted_ sight of Chief Junsar came in to view, her teal-colored hair vivid even in the dusk as she approached the group with a hard look on her face. "Well, well, _glad_ to see you made it back in one piece, _Mister Kazan_. I hope the first thing you plan on doing is giving us as much information about Team Aqua as you were able to gather during your stay. With your help, we can finally take that pack of jokers down for good."

Matsubusa tensed as he looked up sharply at the police chief, before his vision was blocked by Homura as the purple-haired man moved to prevent her from getting too close.

Sakaki turned to Junsar with a keen interest in his eyes. "Ah, Chief Junsar. How _delightful_ to see you."

Junsar froze as she got a good look at Sakaki for the first time, her hand placed over her breast pocket. "S-Sakaki."

Sakaki smiled at Junsar. "I'm sure that Mister Kazan needs a bit of time to recover from his ordeal before he can be asked to make an official statement." He tipped his hat back slightly. "You understand, don't you?"

For a long moment, Officer Junsar remained still as a statue. Slowly, she gave an imperceptive nod and walked away without a word, though she never took her eyes off Sakaki until she disappeared into the crowd of police.

Sakaki looked sideways at Athena and shared an amused look with his wife. "It's always a pleasure to meet an old friend, isn't it?"

"Mmm_hmm_," Athena nodded as she returned the smile with one of her own. "Though, she looks like she could use a bit of a vacation. Such _severe_ stress lines on her face."

"I imagine you'll be wanting a vacation as well," Sakaki said as he turned back to Matsubusa. "After all, quite a lot has happened to you lately, hasn't it?"

"I, ah... y-yes, though I most certainly am looking forward to getting back to work," Matsubusa said as he fidgeted, his face still quite red. "I'm sure production has been severely limited without me."

"A regrettable consequence," Sakaki said. "But hardly an unforgivable one given the circumstances."

Homura stared as the officer retreated, then turned to Sakaki. While it was initially surprising, it made a certain amount of sense as well. Not many people wanted to cross the most powerful man in the country. He turned to see the other admins unloading the luggage, taking it to the limo, and then turned to Matsubusa. "I'm sure that Kazan Industries will recover quickly, now that you've returned to us. Once you've fully _rested_, at any rate... which I believe is our cue to get you home." He then turned to Sakaki and bowed deeply. "Please excuse us, Mr. Takakami."

Sakaki tipped his hat to Homura. "Of course. We'll be in touch."

Homura quickly ushered Matsubusa to his limo with the other admins in tow, while Apollo did the same for Sakaki and Athena at a more leisurely pace. Apollo watched as Homura got Matsubusa in to the car and out of the public view before he chuckled, smiling slyly. "My, my... what an _adorable_ man. He reminds me of our own darling little redhead."

Athena reached over without looking at the man, grabbing his earlobe and giving it a sharp twist. "Careful, Apollo. If we weren't such _good_ friends, people might assume you're _implying_ something." She gave another twist for good measure, though Apollo neither flinched nor allowed his smile to waiver.

"My apologies." Apollo said, with a smile that didn't quite fit the words.

Matsubusa collapsed in the limo, slumping against the soft chairs. He barely looked up when Homura got in with him, along with Courtney. He imagined that Kagari and Tabitha got in the limo behind his own, but didn't think too much about that as the doors closed once again. "Well, that was a lucky break, wasn't it?"

"That wasn't luck, or a coincidence," Homura said, with a shake of his head. "Still, it was _fortunate_, so let's leave it at that."

"Sakaki has a lot of influence," Courtney said as she settled into the seat across from Matsubusa.

Matsubusa sighed as he closed his eyes. He didn't have much energy to worry about it. He really did feel exhausted, but mostly he was relieved that he didn't need to talk to any reporters or the police. He was sure someone would eventually make a comment about what he had said that got him kidnapped, and he simply wasn't in the mood for any that.

The redhead didn't really want a reminder, especially when Aogiri's company – or rather lack thereof - was serving to be enough of one. He knew it would be unpleasant, that he would miss the pirate's presence after having him so intimately close for so long. He never cared about such things before and certainly never felt _lonely_ before, but the void Aogiri left behind was feeling a bit suffocating. Time would make it ease, at least a little bit, but at the moment it was still very oppressive.

Homura frowned as he watched Matsubusa's sullen face before he glanced to Courtney, who was seemingly ignoring them both as she fiddled away at her Pokédex.

Silence descended on the limo, lingering around them like a dark cloud. It made Matsubusa all the more aware of Aogiri's absence. Even when things were quiet, it was never truly _silent_. Aogiri had a way of making his presence known, without saying a single word. It made Matsubusa's heart ache in a way that he was never prepared for.

"What am I going to do with myself?" Matsubusa thought as he sighed again. Just then, a beeping noise caught his attention. His eyes darted to his Pokédex, which he instinctively flipped open. A text message had appeared across the screen, from the newest contact on his list - Aogiri. It was a simple emoticon, a heart. While plain, it sent waves of warmth and pleasure through Matsubusa, causing the redhead to smile softly. He returned the text message with one of his own, sending back the same heart emoticon to the pirate.

In that moment, the redhead noticed something off about his background. His background was typically a picture of Dante as a Houndour, with a shoe in his mouth. It was a familiar sight, one he had grown accustomed to and expected to see. And yet the background his eyes had glanced over was _not_ Dante in the slightest. When Matsubusa took the moment to look more closely at the background, the image became perfectly clear.

It was Aogiri's penis.

Matsubusa jerked as his eyes widened, his face turning a very dark shade of crimson. He immediately recognized the appendage as Aogiri's, as he had grown _very_ familiar with it over his stay - both it and the finely chiseled abdominal muscles that accompanied it in the picture. The pirate's manhood was perfectly erect, with a drawn heart and words scribbled beside it that read, 'Thinking of you always.'

The redhead nearly dropped his Pokédex, barely managing to catch it before it hit his lap. Holding the device with both hands, he furiously texted 'you bastard!' to Aogiri before he searched for the options, to not much avail. "H-Homura! How do I change my background, again!? Is it under options or... or customize... or theme!?"

Homura blinked before he extended his hand. "Here, I'll-"

"_No_!" Matsubusa barked, causing the personal assistant to pause and stare in confusion at his leader. "Just... just tell me!"

Homura blinked slowly. "...Why?"

"J-just tell me!" Matsubusa snapped, his face still burning. He knew Aogiri had done it on purpose, using the text message to make Matsubusa check his phone and find what the pirate had left him.

"It's Aogiri's dick pic," Courtney said.

Matsubusa looked up sharply to stare at Courtney, his jaw dropping. "How-!?"

Courtney pointed over Matsubusa's shoulder. The CEO looked back at the tinted window with confusion until he spotted the faint reflection of himself and his phone on the glassy surface.

Matsubusa let out a strangled noise as he promptly closed his Pokédex, quivering with mortification. "S-shut up! _Shut up_!"

Homura's expression deadpanned as he stared at the flustered CEO.

"D-don't look at me like that!" Matsubusa barked as he held his Pokédex to his chest. "F-fine, forget it! I'll figure it out myself!"

Homura let out a heavy sigh as he reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "When it comes to you, it looks like Aogiri really, honestly, and truly cannot keep his _dick_ in his pants."

Matsubusa let out a shriek before he hurled his Pokédex at Homura unthinkingly, who caught the device easily. The redhead paused before he let out another howl, diving at Homura to try and grab the device back even as the personal assistant twisted about to keep him from grabbing it. "_Give it back_!"

"You asked me to fix it, so I'm going to fix it," Homura said as he held the Pokédex out of reach, pushing Matsubusa back so that he couldn't reach. "Sit down, the limo is moving."

"I said give it back!" Matsubusa demanded, flailing his arms as he tried to reach the device. "Homura!"

"You gave it to me," Homura said, moving his arm back and forth as he extended it fully backwards, still using his other hand to push back at the blushing CEO. "I'll give it back when I'm done."

Matsubusa scrambled to try and get in to his personal assistant's lap in an attempt to decrease the distance between him and the offending Pokédex. "Homura! I'm serious! Don't open my Pokédex!"

As Matsubusa continued to squirm, Homura moved to suddenly pin Matsubusa down to the chair, forcing him down with one arm. Matsubusa yelped before he bared his teeth, letting out a low growl as he attempted to twist about so that he could get a hold of the arm – with the obvious intent to _bite_.

"You start biting, I start tickling," Homura said, as he held the smaller man down, moving to sit on his legs.

"_Homura_!" Matsubusa howled in anger. "You bastard!"

Courtney watched the two men struggle with an unwavering expression. "I didn't know you were so keen on seeing Aogiri's penis, Homura. Shelly is going to be jealous."

Homura paused at that, his eyes widening. "...What!?"

Matsubusa immediately saw an opportunity, twisting his body about so that he could wrap his legs around Homura's chest. He yanked the other man closer as he lashed out to grab his Pokédex, securing it in his hands before he held it up with a triumphant crow. It didn't last, however, as Courtney's words finally registered and the CEO blinked, lifting his eyes to stare at the admin. "What? What's this about Shelly-?"

Homura growled before he lunged, his fingers instantly seeking out the redhead's sides. Matsubusa could barely let out a strangled shriek before he was reduced to squirming giggles, attempting uselessly to fend off his personal assistant. "_Nevermind that_!"

"N-no, stop! I-ahaha-I order you to _stop_!" Matsubusa protested as he tried to shove Homura away. It was hard to speak as Homura assaulted him with tickles. "T-t-that's an o-order-!"

Courtney watched the two men without cracking a smile. "Homura slept in Shelly's room while you were sleeping with Aogiri."

"W-w-wha-what-he-he did wa-a-kyaha-!" Matsubusa curled up in to a ball, trying to protect his sides as Homura continued his attack.

"We're pretty sure they had sex," Courtney said. "Drunk sex."

Homura had his fingers roam along Matsubusa's sides and stomach, seeking out every vulnerable space he could. It reduced the CEO to a quivering pile of shrieks and squirming, unable to really respond as the Pokédex was all but forgotten. As he did, he looked pointedly at Courtney. "What was that, Courtney? Are you volunteering to take Matsubusa's place?"

Courtney stared at Homura for a moment before she conspicuously slid further away along her seat as she gave Matsubusa a salute. "Good luck, Leader. I'll let Aogiri know Homura put his hands all over you so you two can have hot jealousy sex later."

Homura paused before he arched an eyebrow. "Actually, I think he'd find it hilarious that we're fighting over his dick-"

Matsubusa let out a howl before he lunged up to clasp both of his hands over Homura's mouth. "_Shut up, shut up, shut up_!"

Courtney ever so slightly cocked her head to the side. "So does that mean you're interested in a threesome, foursome, or partner swapping?"

Homura struggled to hold Matsubusa's hands away from his mouth as the redhead shrieked in embarrassment, thrashing about. "It means you're being a troll."

Courtney shrugged. "Water is wet."

* * *

Electricity sparked as the large machine at the center of the room hummed. Looking like it came straight out of a mad scientist movie, the device resembled an industrial-sized oven with a central window. However, it wasn't cookies or cake it was baking - it was the future. Through the central window, a glistening orb could be seen sitting on a pedestal, surrounded by energy that let off an ephemeral glow.

From a safe distance, behind reinforced security walls that surrounded the machine and wearing radiation suits complete with protective eye goggles, was Matsubusa and his admins. The redhead stood with his hands laced behind his back, his expression tense as he watched the machine do its work.

Beside him, Homura was busy writing on his clipboard, documenting his observations even as the more high-tech equipment recorded the data and transmitted it to the assorted screens scattered across the room.

"We're now reaching the final stages," Kagari said as she kept her eyes on the screens, sitting at a computer console at the far back of the room.

Courtney's fingers flew across the array of buttons and switches in front of her, her eyes darting from one monitor to the next. "Everything is within acceptable limits."

Tabitha stood furthest back from the machines, his arms folded as he kept a sharp eye out on the situation should something go wrong.

The humming intensified as Matsubusa and the assembled admins watched in tense silence. The orb at the center of the machine began to flash violently, electricity arcing off of it. The glow within the machine steadily increased as the arcing flickered about in a light display not entirely unlike a static ball.

Matsubusa watched the orb, his jaw clenching as his eyes scoured for every detail even from such a distance.

"Tech Master, please initiate shutdown," Kagari said.

"Initiating shut down sequence," Courtney said without looking up. Within a minute, the whirring of machinery slowly wound down until there was nothing left but the quiet hiss of cool air pumping in from the vents.

"It's the moment of truth," Homura said. "Now we wait and-"

Matsubusa stepped forward, startling Homura. Walking out from behind the protective wall, the redhead strode purposely towards the machine. Ignoring his personal assistant's protests, Matsubusa opened the door to the machine and snatched the orb with one of his glove-covered hands.

Tabitha reached Matsubusa's side in seconds. "Sir! Please get back!"

Matsubusa didn't even so much as glance at Tabitha, his eyes focused on the orb. He lifted it upwards to shine it in to the light, turning the small trinket about to view all of its sides. The redhead paused when one of the sides came in to view, revealing a small indent on the otherwise perfectly smooth surface - and a crack within said indent. Matsubusa let out a violent curse before he roughly handed the orb over to Tabitha, as if he were tossing it away. "_More_ trash!"

Tabitha yelped and scrambled to get a better hold of the flawed orb as it nearly slipped through his gloved fingers. "A-again?"

Homura took the orb from Tabitha and regarded it, critically. "...It's still our best one to date. The flaws are minimal, and I imagine it's even _usable_."

"Only a _couple times_ before it _breaks_!" Matsubusa snapped as he whirled to point at the orb, jabbing his finger at it like a knife. "It's still a _failure_!"

"It's _less_ of a failure than the previous attempt," Kagari said as she crossed her arms. "Not everything has to be an absolute, honey."

Matsubusa snorted derisively. "I'm not interested in _second place_."

"...Considering we're the only ones competing," Homura said as he arched an eyebrow. "I'd say we're in _all_ the places. And Sakaki has no complaints, either."

"But I do!" Matsubusa said as he threw his arms up in frustration.

"But we can still use it," Tabitha said, trying to sound cheerful. "It doesn't matter if its uses are limited if we can just make more whenever we want."

Matsubusa whipped around to face Tabitha, tearing off his protective goggles. "Oh, yes! Because that's totally the point, isn't it!?"

Tabitha cringed and took a step back as he held up his open hands.

Courtney tilted her head slightly. "You're grumpier than usual. Missing Aogiri that much?"

Matsubusa jerked before his face turned scarlet red. He quickly glanced around at the other employees in the room, normal employees of Kazan Industries who had no ties to Team Magma of any sort. He bristled at their confused looks, then whirled to hiss at Courtney. "S-ssshut up, shut up, _shut up_! _That _has nothing to do with _this_!"

Courtney shrugged, her expression unchanging. "If you want to take a vacation to spend more time with him, go ahead."

"No!" Matsubusa snapped as he straightened up. "That last 'vacation' set us back _weeks_! No more 'vacations'!"

Homura rolled his eyes before he held the orb out to Matsubusa. "Can we focus _less_ on_ that pirate_ and _more_ on the fact that we're getting closer and closer to a working artificial Mega Stone with each prototype? This one may not be perfect, but it's _progress_."

Matsubusa paused and eyed the stone, then wrinkled his nose and looked away. "_Progress_ doesn't mean much when we've hit a _plateau_. We just don't have the _means_ to generate the pressure _necessary_ to condense the energy in to a solid, usable state that won't _shatter_ after several uses."

Tabitha smoothed back his hair. "So, what do we do now? Do we try to get in contact with that group in Kalos-"

"-And what exactly would _that_ accomplish?!" Matsubusa demanded, cutting off Tabitha with a flourish of his hand. "Besides making them aware of our project? Let us ignore the fact that we're essentially striving to _eliminate_ their monopoly and bring their prized Mega Evolution to the 'unwashed masses' they so despise, what could they _possibly_ offer us!? Digging around in the dirt and looking for lucky finds is hardly useful to our situation!"

"They've had the opportunity to study them a lot longer than us," Tabitha offered, though he was starting to regret suggesting anything at all.

"It's true, no one would be more knowledgeable," Homura agreed as he glanced to his coworker. "But they're also well-known for their refusal to _share_ that knowledge, and their disdain of outsiders. I can't even begin to imagine how they would react if they knew our intentions."

"We don't need them," Matsubusa said, with a huff as he crossed his arms. "We need a better _power source_."

"We could follow up that tip about the Orb of Groudon," Courtney said, her eyes sliding away from her computer screen towards Matsubusa's irritated face. "Before you say no, I did more digging on it, and found some promising leads."

"Not _that_ nonsense again," Matsubusa said, with a heavy sigh.

"...No one's asking you to seriously believe that a giant Pokémon created all land on earth during a fight with an equally large water Pokémon," Homura said, shaking his head. "It's just local superstition and folklore, and most people in Hoenn have long since forgotten about it. But don't forget that superstitions and folklore was how humans tended to rationalize things they didn't understand."

Matsubusa hesitated before he fell silent, frowning.

"There are many different kinds of creation myths, so Hoenn having its own variety is nothing surprising," Kagari said, as she glanced over to Courtney. "It's entirely possible the orb exists, even if the Pokémon it's named after does not."

Tabitha gave a half-hearted shrug. "What could it hurt to check? The other orbs that source directed us to _were_ legit, after all. And some of the best Mega Stones in Hoenn, I might add. All the good ones are usually found in Kalos, but the source really paid off when we listened to them last time."

Matsubusa reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "...Fine. You can _look in to it_, if you think it might actually help us with our research. _If_ it's worth pursuing, we can decide where to go from there."

"Already done," Courtney said as she typed at the nearby computer. "I sent all the information I found so far to your email."

"Then this sounds like a good time for lunch, don't you agree?" Kagari asked with a bright smile.

Homura nodded before he turned, gesturing towards the closest intern assisting the scientists - a red-eyed woman with shoulder-length, disheveled black hair tied up in a ponytail by twist-tie with two small red baubles. She wore a white lab coat like everyone else in the room, though she was carrying around trays and clipboards rather than actually doing any research herself. She jerked to stare at Homura with an innocently blank face as the purple-haired man focused on her. "Take everyone's order, then call it in."

The young woman practically beamed, her enthusiasm a bit too strong for such an ordinary task. "Yes, sir! Right away, sir!"

Tabitha chuckled as he watched the woman dart around quickly to jot down orders. "Interns," he said with a knowing look that he shared with his fellow admins.

Matsubusa sighed heavily. He could already see that it was pointless to debate, especially when his admins were so dead-set on arguing with him. The redhead finished removing his protective gear as he headed out of the room, leaving everyone else to deal with the results of their failed test. A failure was still a failure, no matter what silver lining it had. And each failure made him feel increasingly desperate for success, his pride demanding it. It didn't matter that his backers were thrilled with the results they had, _he_ wasn't.

"I'll get some work done through lunch," Matsubusa muttered as he headed to his office, reaching up to massage his forehead. "Look through the data one more time, see where the energy output can be improved..." It had to be there, somewhere. He just needed to look _harder_ in order to find it.

The foul mood hung over Matsubusa like a thundercloud as he entered his office and all but slammed the door behind him. It was only then that his instincts kicked in, warning him that he wasn't alone. His sharp eyes scanned the room, assessing for potential threats when his gaze settled on his desk - and the man currently sitting on it. Instantly, the CEO jerked back, his eyebrows shooting up as he outright gawked.

It was Aogiri. The sight of the leader of Team Aqua at Kazan Industries wasn't just shocking enough on his own, but the fact that he was tied up only made his appearance more startling. Silky red colored ropes wound around his body in intricate knots, strangely managing to accent more intimate areas. Despite being bound with arms folded behind his back, the pirate smiled widely as he drank in Matsubusa's shocked yet flushed reaction. "So... about that plan B."

Matsubusa stared at Aogiri in stunned silence for several moments, slowly registering what he was seeing. Once it dawned on him that the leader of Team Aqua had spoken, the redhead snapped to attention and focused on the pirate's smirking face. The expression alone only served to increase his embarrassment, deepening his blush. "P-p-plan B...?"

"This time, I'm _your_ prisoner for a while," Aogiri said in an almost sing-song tone. "It's only fair; don't you agree?"

Matsubusa's eyes widened as his face burned a deep shade of red. He was silent for several moments as he stared at the bound pirate, Aogiri wiggling his eyebrows as he sat in open invitation despite supposedly being a prisoner. The redhead swallowed hard before he finally reached back behind him to lock the door with an audible _click_.


End file.
